


Who Am I

by lulupickles



Category: Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulupickles/pseuds/lulupickles
Summary: AU story about Stephanie Plum. Stephanie discovers she isn’t who she was raised to believe. Is she really Stephanie Plum? Why does she have the sudden urge to uproot her life and leave? As she discovers more about herself, she eventually accepts her new life and all it encompasses. Until she uncovers the truth, she wonders ‘Who Am I?’
Relationships: Stephanie Plum/Steve Rogers
Comments: 16
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A Stephanie Plum/Avengers Fan Fiction. Just having fun with these characters.  
> I do not own the characters, only the original ones I created for this story.

CHAPTER 1

Hi, my name is Stephanie Michelle Plum. I am thirty-three years old and was born in Trenton NJ on October 12, 1984. My parents are Frank and Helen Plum. I am aunt to Angie, Mary Alice, Lisa and Matthew who are my sister Valerie's children. Angie and Mary Alice are from Valerie's first marriage to Steve Sutton. Lisa and Matthew are from Valerie's second marriage to Albert Kloughn. Last week, I moved away from Trenton NJ and now reside in Manhattan NY. I share an apartment with my old co-worker Hector's sister Maria Sanchez. Hopefully I can stay off the radar from Ricardo Carlos Manoso and Joseph Morelli. I need this time to figure out who I am, to find myself and determine who I want to be. Something tells me New York will provide me with answers to my questions.

October 11, 1984

Helen started freaking. It was six weeks too early for the baby to be born. The due date wasn't until November 16th. "Frank! I'm scared, my water just broke. We need to leave for the hospital. The baby's coming too early." But Frank Plum was smiling as he called Edna to babysit Val. In just a few hours, he'll finally have that son he's been praying for. Two years earlier, their daughter Valerie was born. She has dark curly hair and brown eyes.

He was disappointed when the doctor announced, "It's a girl."

Fighting back his disappointment, he smiled at his wife and said, "Helen. She's perfect." It took awhile to convince Helen to have another baby. In fact, she refused to continue sexual relations with him until a year ago. He patted his jacket pocket which held the cigars with 'It's a boy' stamped in blue ink. 'I know it's a boy this time, I can feel it.'

After twenty-two hours of labour, the doctor said the dreaded words, "It's a girl." This time, Frank didn't hold back his disappointment. Helen noticed he was upset, but refused to try for another child. Helen emotionally couldn't handle disappointing her husband again. Twice she failed to produce the son he desperately wanted. Twice she endured pregnancy and labour to provide children to a man she never loved. Helen was still in love with her childhood sweetheart. She discovered three years ago that Frank was sterile. Her secret needed to stay safe. He must never find out the true paternity of Valerie or this baby. She never told Frank or anybody else about the boy she miscarried on New Year's day. The doctors told her it wasn't a 'viable pregnancy'. However, she was sad all the same. She lost her lover's son. Her lover was married to another woman. He was always gentle and tender with her, but not to his wife. He resented the woman he was forced to marry. His heart belonged to Helen and wanted to give her a son, even if it meant Frank would be the 'father'. Helen shook the thoughts from her head. Frank and Helen decided to name the baby Stephanie Michelle Plum. Since she was born early, she was placed in an incubator in the NeoNatal ward. Dr Mitchell told them, "She is having some difficulties breathing. We need to keep her in the NICU until her breathing stabilizes."

Helen timidly asked, "How long will she need to stay there?"

"As long as it takes for her lungs to finish developing. We have already injected a steroid to aid in the process. It could take up to three weeks before we feel comfortable releasing her." Frank held his wife as she cried.

In an alley a block away, a beautiful woman stops running and hides behind the dumpster. She felt the labour pains for awhile. He told her to hurry, hide and stay as quiet as possible. The girl she was carrying must be protected at all costs. Quietly, she chanted protection spells for the safe delivery of her daughter. At exactly 12:15 am on October 12, 1984, her daughter Samara was born. He told her she weights 5 lbs 1 oz and 15 inches long before telling her about a sickly girl born at exactly the same time, in a hospital close by. The baby is the same weight and length as Samara. He said, "If you hurry, you can swap babies before the other one dies. It's imperative to swap them soon. You're running out of time." She couldn't worry about the loss of the other baby right now. He warned her to hurry. "The other baby will be dead by 8 am and she must swap them before the nurses notice."

She kissed her baby and whispered, "Samara, please forgive me. I must do this to protect your life. Remember, I will always love you. He promised to watch over you and protect you. When you find your brother, all will be fully restored. You'll instinctively know when it's time to leave and search for your brother, my son. Your brother will confirm your identify using your birthmark, which will only appear once your brother is near. He will protect you and love you unconditionally. Until then, I can't risk anyone discovering who you really are. The spell I placed upon you will protect you even if I die. When the time is right, I will tell your brother all about you. For now, you must remain a guarded secret."

She slipped into the hospital and waited around the corner from the NICU until she saw the girl's father place a kiss to his fingers, touch her forehead before rushing out of the room, following the frantic nurse. They were so distracted they didn't see her standing outside the door. Another nurse briefly inspected the equipment and left the room. She quietly entered the NICU and located Stephanie Michelle Plum. He said, "That's the right baby. Quickly switch them, the nurse will be back soon." She gave her daughter a quick kiss on the forehead and whispered more protective enchantments over her. Placing her baby next to Stephanie, she carefully lifted the sick baby and cradled her as she ran from the hospital. Her switch spell transferred the IV and other machine hookups to her baby. Nobody saw her enter or leave the NICU. As far as anyone is concerned, the baby in the NICU is the daughter of Frank and Helen Plum. She prayed the girl will be loved and kept safe. Returning to the dumpster, she hugged the baby close and cried as the sick baby died in her arms. "You need to return immediately and bring her with you. He will only believe you if you show them proof. He will be angry at first, but will forgive you when he sees your dead girl. It's the only way to keep her safe." She agreed as she prepared to return home.

October 12, 1984

Frank called his mother-in-law Edna Mazur with an update. "It's a girl. Her name is Stephanie Michelle, she weighed 5 lbs 1 oz, 15 inches long, born on October 12th at 12:15 am. Since she was born too early, they admitted her into the NICU until she stabilizes and her lungs finish developing. The doctor says she's showing signs of failure to thrive. I'm not optimistic that she will pull through."

Edna silently cried while she watch Valerie sleeping in her lap. "I'll pray for her Frank. Let me keep Valerie with us until Stephie is strong enough to come home. Right now, she needs you more than Val."

Helen sat beside Stephanie's incubator, watching her breathe. During every breath, Helen quietly cursed the baby. "Why couldn't you be the boy we wanted. We already have a girl. The doctor should have just let you die. I can already tell you're going to be a trouble maker."

The nurse standing behind Helen was horrified to hear a mother speak to her newborn in this manner. 'I feel sorry for that poor girl. With a mother like her, she's going to have a difficult life.' Sarah lightly touched Helen's shoulder, "Mrs Plum, would you like someone to take you back to your room?"

Helen nodded, "Thank you Sarah, that would be wonderful." Sarah's goal was to separate this vile woman from the innocent baby girl.

Helen was only in her room for thirty minutes before she experiences extreme pain. She reaches over to push the nurse call button. Tiffany rolled her eyes when she saw the room number for the woman who pushed the button. Mrs Helen Plum was a horrible patient. Whenever her husband left the room, she would say horrible things about her newborn daughter. It wasn't the baby's fault she was born early. She took a few calming breaths before entering Helen's room. "Mrs Plum? Is everything alright?" Helen had tears running down her face as she clutched her abdomen. The nurse pulled down the blanket and pressed the button calling for immediate help.

Dr Mitchell was still I the hospital, so he rushed into the room to examine Helen. "Tiffany, book an OR immediately. Mrs Plum needs to have an emergency hysterectomy before she bleeds out." Tiffany placed the necessary calls, and told the interns to take Mrs Plum to OR4 immediately.

As the teams rushed Helen to the elevators, Frank was sitting with his daughter. "Steph, I was hoping you were a boy. I am a bit disappointed, but your mother and I can always try again. In the meantime, I will try my best to be a good Dad." He kissed his finger and gently touched it to her forehead.

Sarah rushed into the room. "Mr Plum. Your wife is being rushed into surgery. The doctor's need your signature prior to surgery." Frank rushed from the NICU and into his wife's room. An intern was holding a clipboard with documents for him to sign.

He sees the intern and asks, "Dr... Wilkins, what surgery does Helen need?"

"Sir, we have to perform an emergency hysterectomy, your wife will die if we don't." Frank quickly signs the document, lowers himself into the chair and cries the loss of his future son. He had no idea his sick baby girl was being replaced with a healthier one. Frank had no idea he wasn't Valerie or Stephanie's biological dad. He had no idea his last special op deployment in the Army cause sterility.

Later that afternoon, the nurse summons the Plums to the NICU. Sarah was saying, "It's the strangest thing. Mr Plum, I checked her just after you left and her colouring was still showing a greyish tinge. Her breathing was still laboured when I saw you that finger kiss on her forehead. I came back after thirty minutes and noticed she was slowly turning a healthier colour. Dr Mitchell has been paged and will be here soon to examine her." Frank stood straighter and puffed out his chest. 'If I can't have my son, at least I know my youngest daughter and I will always have a connection. After all, it was my kiss to her forehead that jump started the healing process. My baby girl is no longer displaying symptoms of failure to thrive.' Frank was feeling proud of himself. He was completely unaware this wasn't his daughter. In fact, nobody knew this beautiful baby who looked identical to Stephanie was not a true Plum.

"Good afternoon Mr Plum, Mrs Plum, I have excellent news. Given the apparent improvement in your daughter, we will only need to keep her under observation for another two days."

Frank gushed, "Thank you Dr Mitchell. I can't wait to take my baby girl home."

Helen sullenly said, "Thank you Dr Mitchell for everything you've done for Stephanie." What she really wanted to say was 'thanks for nothing Dr Mitchell, you should have let her die.' But, her Burg manners prevented her from saying those words.

October 19, 1984

Frank and Helen finally able took Stephanie home on October 15th. Valerie was happy to have a little sister. Helen refused to nurse Stephanie so they purchased bottles and formula to feed her. Valerie was happy to help feed 'her' baby. Within a few hours of being home, Stephanie became colicky. Frank had already left for work. Helen kept screaming at the baby, "Stop screaming you little bitch. I knew you were going to be trouble. You were born too early. I was in labour with you for twenty-two hours. It's all your fault for not being the boy we wanted." It was during this tirade when Edna walked into the house. She lifted Stephanie from the crib and cuddled her close. After a brief look of disgust at her daughter, she told her to take Valerie shopping. Helen quickly grabbed Valerie to go. The only time Stephanie settled was when Frank held her. He was so happy she responded to him and relaxed.

Every time Frank went to work leaving Helen and Valerie alone, Stephanie would cry from colic. Edna came over often to help with Stephanie. She too was able to calm her. "Baby granddaughter, what has you so upset today?" Stephanie looked at her Grandmother and stopped crying. She let out a huge burp and settled down to sleep. Edna enjoyed these individual moments with Stephanie. They had developed a special bond. Three days a week her husband, Henry, would drop her off at Helen's on his way to work. He realized quickly there was something odd between Helen and Stephanie. Henry could tell Helen resented her newest daughter and treated her with contempt. Helen didn't have these problems with Valerie. He encouraged Edna to spend time with their newest Granddaughter to give Stephie a break from her tightly wound mother.

Edna and Henry discussed Helen's behaviour towards Stephanie. Since they only lived a block away, they agreed to provide a refuge for Stephanie. They invited the Plums over for dinner frequently to spend extra time with their Granddaughter. Henry tried to stay out of his daughter's business as much as possible. She was Frank's responsibility now, not his. He waited patiently for Frank to step in to stop Helen's behaviour. A few times Frank would shake his head and give Helen a look to say 'Stop' and she would instantly comply. Henry knew his daughter thrived for perfection. Everything had to be perfect. After all, what would the neighbours think. Even though Angie Morelli was beaten frequently by her husband, Helen would compete with her for favour with the neighbours. A few times he heard about Helen's blatant hatred towards her youngest daughter. It solidified their resolve to protect their youngest Granddaughter. He often saw Anthony Morelli sneak out the back door of his daughter's house while Frank was at work. Henry managed to procure cheek swabs from Valerie and Stephanie for a paternity test. He offered to dispose the beer bottle Frank drank from his previous visit. The tests confirmed his suspicions, Valerie and Stephanie did not belong to Frank Plum. He also discovered the mitochondrial samples between the two girls didn't match. Helen was not Stephanie's mother. Edna was right... this baby was not the Stephanie birthed by Helen Plum. How Edna knew? That answer was unknown to him, she simply knew. Over the years, they protected Stephanie from Helen as much as possible. However, they did not interfere since it would have negative repercussions for Stephanie. Henry and Edna put their plan in action.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie finally realizes she’s had enough. Time to take control of her life.

CHAPTER 2

Three Weeks Ago

I have rolled in garbage for the last time. It's becoming too embarrassing. My phone rang seconds after my car exploded. I noticed the number, sighed and answered, "Hi Mom."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum. Why me? Why do I have a daughter who rolls around in garbage with a criminal? Why do I have a daughter who blows up her..." I didn't let her finish her tirade and hung up the phone. As far as I can remember, my Mom has always criticized me. I never felt like I belonged to the family. Mom and Valerie were Burg women. I was the black sheep in the family. Mom relaxed when I married Dickie then became unbearable when we divorced within months of our marriage. She said I should have ignored his indiscretions like all other Burg women. But I'm not the typical Burg woman. I had no desire to become one so I endured her 'Why can't you be more like your sister Valerie?' 'What will the neighbours think?' 'Why me?' Stupid Saint Valerie isn't as innocent as dear mother would like to believe. I need to get out of here, away from the Burg, away from the gossip, away from the emotional abuse. She has pushed things too far.

My relationship with my Mom was tenuous at best. I could never do right in her eyes. According to Mom, Valerie set the bar to which I should be measured. After all these years, I have constantly fallen short in her eyes. She never allowed me to fly and I needed to fly. I had this deep desire to do things for myself and rarely asked for help. Maybe if I could prove to Mom that I can take care of myself, she'll stop comparing me to Valerie or setting me up on dates. Deep in my soul, I could feel a yearning for a mother who loved me beyond her own life. I felt I didn't belong to the mother I have. It was almost like the woman who raised me isn't really my mother. I often talked to Grandpa Henry and Grandma Edna about my feelings. They would share a knowing glance and grant me refuge. I often felt someone was out there was protecting me, making sure I survived the car and apartment bombings. Shortly before each incident, I would have a strong feeling to run away from my car or leave my apartment. I would get a tingling in my neck, heart and stomach and could almost hear someone whisper in my ear to move away quickly. I tried to explain this to my Mom, but she just looked at me as though I was crazy. She would rant about 'quitting my job, marrying Morelli and having babies'. Speaking of Joe... once again, she assured Angie Morelli that Joe and I will get married within the next year. They went as far as securing the church, hall and buying me a wedding dress. UGH! I really need to get away from Trenton. Marry Joe? Nope... not happening. I would rather die than marry Joseph Anthony Morelli.

I lost my Grandpa Henry a few years ago. Grandma Edna lives with Dad and Mom. She drives them crazy with her escapades. I personally think she's a hoot. My Grandma is my champion. Her support over the years have saved my sanity more than once. When Valerie developed a crush on Anthony Morelli Jr, she discouraged her. Valerie lost her virginity to Anthony when she was fourteen, he was sixteen. She said kissing Anthony felt like kissing her brother. When I was twelve, Grandma told me her suspicions and showed me the paternity tests. I can still recall the day my life forever changed. I got into another fight with Mom and ran to Grandma Mazur's house. She told me that neither Valerie nor I were the biological daughter to Frank Plum. I was crushed. He was an amazing father. We went camping and fishing together every summer. I loved spending time with Dad. Grandma held me as I cried and said, "Don't be sad Baby Granddaughter. He will always love you and be your Dad. Your mother, Helen, is not your biological mom either. Henry and I found out when you were only a few months old. I suspected you weren't Helen's when she brought you home from the hospital. You looked like the same baby, but there were minute differences between the baby they brought home and the baby pictures taken minutes after your birth." I was surprised when she told me I was raised by strangers. "Grandpa Henry and I took pictures and outlined all the differences. We already had your results from the paternity tests, so we compared them to Helen's. I was right, Helen isn't your mother. Your real mom really must want to protect you, so Grandpa and I decided to protect you too. Nobody can know the details until the time is right. We love you and you will always be our Baby Granddaughter. However, we suspect old man Morelli is Valerie's dad. So when you told me what Valerie said it felt like kissing Anthony was like kissing her brother, she just may have done that." I shuttered... eewww, she had sex with a boy who could possibly be her brother. Grandma called Mom and Dad to tell then I was staying with them for a few days. I shook myself from the memory. Helen may not be my biological Mom, but she's still the only Mom I know. I will always miss Grandpa Henry.

Joe and I broke up nearly a year ago after a magical night I spent with my mentor Ranger. Now there's a really confusing man. Ricardo Carlos Manoso aka Ranger aka Batman... unfortunately, I'm in love with him. Joe knows I spent that one night with him because I told him. Based off his behaviour, I suspected he already knew. How he knew? I had no clue. He accused me of cheating on him, but we were in the off stage of our on-off-on again relationship. I guess he forgot we broke up the week earlier. A relationship between me and Ranger will never happen. His life 'doesn't lend to relationships.' He 'can't offer me a ring, but a condom may come in handy.' Back to my blown up car... speak of the first devil. I watched as Morelli swaggered towards me. Boy, does he look angry. "Cupcake! What have you done now? You are so bad at your job it's embarrassing. What am I going to tell people about the mother of my children? If you quit your job, I'll let you marry me."

I couldn't control the laughter. "That's is so funny Joe. We haven't been dating for nearly a year. Let me marry you? What makes you think I would WANT to marry you? You are a cheater, liar and abuser. Go away Joe, I don't want you anywhere near me."

Suddenly I felt the familiar tingling on the back of my neck. CRAP! The second devil has arrived on the scene. I sat on the curb and rested my head on my knees. What does he want now? It wasn't even his car and he told me the trackers were removed. I grabbed my purse and dumped it into the road. Where are the damn trackers? There was an unfamiliar pen, a tube of lipstick and mascara in my purse. Huh... I know the pen isn't mine. The lipstick is the wrong shade for me and I never put mascara in this purse. Great! Three trackers. Stupid overprotective mercenary asshole. I put all the items back into my purse, including the trackers. "Babe. Are you alright?"

"You can see I'm fine, now go away and leave me alone." He pulled me into his arms and held me. My resolve weakened. I was powerless to stop him and would agree to whatever he wants. He may only 'love me... in his own way', but I'm completely in love with him.

"Do you need a ride?" I nodded as he pulled me to my feet. "Where's your FTA?"

"He escaped some time between hitting me with that garbage can and exploding my car." I could feel the tears running down my face.

He motioned towards Joe, "Is he going to be a problem?"

"I think so. He keeps breaking into my apartment. Last month, he broke one of my ribs." A flash of anger passed across Ranger's face before slamming down that 'blank face' he has perfected. He took me to his apartment at Rangeman.

We entered his seventh floor apartment. "Do you mind if I take a shower?"

"I'll grab you a change of clothes." He waited until I showered and dressed before speaking. "I asked Ella to bring food for us. Babe... I'm sorry for sending you back to Morelli that night. I had no idea he would hurt you like that."

I quickly waved it off. "That's partly my fault for not telling you. I was afraid you'd kill him if I did."

"How many times has he hurt you?"

"Too many to count. I was going to tell you he broke my arm nine months ago, but I said it was falling down the stairs with a skip. It could happen you know, it just happened to be the same day I did fall down stairs with a skip. You killed Abruzzi after he kidnapped and hurt me. I couldn't risk you going to jail for killing a cop."

"Babe. You can tell me anything. I will do whatever I can to protect you."

"Thanks Ranger. I appreciate your help." I ate the macaroni and cheese casserole made by Ella. It was so good that I ate most of it.

"Babe. You're eating like you haven't eaten in days."

"Hmmm... five days to be exact."

He pulled my face around to look at him. I could see the anger in his normally expressionless face. "Why didn't you come to me sooner?"

"I don't need your help. It's time for me to take care of myself, to pull up my big girl panties and take charge. You've spent enough of your hard earned money on me." After dinner, I used the spare toothbrush in his bathroom to brush my teeth. I grabbed the pillow and blanket from the linen closet, preparing to sleep on the couch. We watched a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy before I fell asleep. Sensing I haven't slept well in months, he carried me to his bed and pulled me tight to his chest.

A nightmare woke me up just before 5 am. I noticed I was wrapped in Ranger's arms. He still feels good and it's been so long since I experienced any intimacy. His tantalizing Bulgari Green scent pushed my hormones into overdrive. Before I could distance myself, he kissed me. I melted into his kiss and allowed him to remove my top. He shifted me under him and caressed my breasts causing my nipples to harden.

I moaned as he sucked a nipple into his mouth. "Please. It's been so long." He continued kissing and sucking his way down my body. As soon as his tongue nudged my clit, I exploded into a powerful orgasm.

"Babe."

"Need you in me now." I could feel his smile as he kissed his way back up my body.

"Babe. Look at me." I opened my eyes and looked into his. His eyes reflected the love I knew was in mine. I wish it was enough for me, that I was enough for him. He pushed into me and we made love. We orgasmed together and he held me for a few minutes. "Babe. I need to get ready for work. There's an early meeting I can't miss. Please stay here and wait for me." I nodded then fell asleep. After a few hours I woke up. 'I can't believe I fell for that again. I'm such an idiot. Will I ever learn? Once again we had amazing sex and he left me immediately. Enough is enough. My heart can't take this torture anymore.' I took a quick shower and pulled my hair into a pony tail. His closet still held my clothing from the time I worked for him. I slipped into the panties and Rangeman gear before leaving his apartment. In order for me to get over him, I need to leave Trenton. How will I do that without him being tipped off?

I took the elevator to the first floor and left the Rangeman tower. My spidey-sense was firing. Someone, specifically a man, was following me. I discretely looked around to see if I could spot him. A few blocks away from Rangeman, I turned the next corner and quickly hid in the shadows of the alley. The man stopped in the alley entrance and looked around. He glanced at his cell phone and smiled. "Angelita, I'm not going to hurt you. Please talk to me and let me help."

I stepped out of the shadows and smiled at Hector. "Hi Hector. Why are you following me?"

"I know you want to escape. How can I help?"

"How did you know?"

"Angel, you haven't stepped foot in Rangeman for the last four months. I was concerned when I looked at the monitors and saw you leaving Ranger's apartment."

I hung my head. "Great. Now all the guys know we slept together again." He watched several emotions cross my face before I settled on a genuine smile. "Are you serious about helping me? Will Ranger be able to find me?"

"Angel, I will do anything for you. He won't find you unless you want to be found."

"Hector, I need to get home. I have a lot of plans to make. First order of business is shaking the trackers stashed in my clothes, purse and shoes."

He sent a text then waited for a dark blue Camero to park in the alley. "Angel, Stephanie, this is Manuel. He'll take you home. I'll come over tonight at 9 to discuss your escape plan. Please let Manuel sweep your apartment for bugs. I have a feeling a certain cop planted some to keep tabs on you."

"Thank you Hector. Nice to meet you Manuel." Manuel started working at Rangeman after I left the company. He was one of the potential hires I recommended for a job he didn't apply for. It was nice to see I was right in my assessment about him and Hector getting along. I gave Hector a hug, kissed his cheek and hopped into Manuel's car.

As I promised Hector, I allowed Manuel to sweep my apartment for bugs. He found one in Rex's tank on the lid of his aquarium. It was in a location I would never have noticed. When I clean his cage, the lid never gets washed since it doesn't get dirty. I'll be changing my cleaning methods from now on. Another bug was located on my headboard. That was such an invasion of privacy. A few more were found in outlets and light switches. Manuel used his phone to take high definition pictures of the serial numbers on the bugs. Hector texted back. 'Tell Stephanie those bugs were not planted by Rangeman.' Manuel showed me Hector's text. He made the notion to keep it quiet. The bugs are still active and he wanted to ensure we didn't tip anyone off. 'They have serial numbers consistent with the Trenton Police Department. Don't tell Angel, I don't want to scare her.' Manuel located a receiver planted conveniently on the fire escape which receives and stores data from the bugs. Tracking back through the data collected, he created a program to piece together parts of previous data to record during times I'm typically in my apartment. Once he was finished, he disabled the ten bugs he located then texted Hector. 'All bugs have been located and disabled. The receiver contains a micro computer chip so I programmed it to produce fake data when she is typically at home. That asshole will never be the wiser.' 'I owe you buddy. Please don't let Ranger know you're helping me or her.' 'That goes without saying.' Manuel's phone beeped once as Hector accessed and removed all traces of their conversation.

I looked at his phone. He could see the question in my face. "Hector is removing our text conversation permanently from my phone and falsifying my current location. My phone is Rangeman issued, so Ranger could potentially view the data logs and texts. For your information, only you and I know Hector can speak English. He will only speak in Spanish at Rangeman."

"Ah. It must be nice to be a computer genius and to be in on his secret."

He laughed. "Steph, I need to leave now. Ranger knows you're home and asked Tank to bring you a car. I can't risk Tank finding me here. It will ruin Hector's plan."

I hugged him as I said, "Thank you for helping me Manuel." He left my apartment and I locked my doors. Even though I took a shower that morning, I took another one to wash off Ranger's Bulgari Green shower gel smell. I dressed in baggy track pants and sweatshirt. It was starting to get colder outside. The Rangeman clothes were placed in a garbage bag for disposal. I didn't need another reminder of him. My phone rang the Batman tune. Damn! He's calling me. I bet he's mad I left his apartment after asking me to stay. "Yo," I said as I connected the call.

"Babe. I asked you to stay." I could detect slight anger in his tone.

"I know, but it wasn't working for me. I have skips to capture. Bills to pay. Laundry to wash."

"Tank is dropping off a car. Please accept and drive it."

I sighed and agreed. A few minutes later someone knocked on my door. Using the peep hole, I saw Tank's chest. I opened the door, "Hi Tank. Ranger said you were dropping by. Would you like to come in?" He shook his head no and handed me the keys to a Mercedes SUV. "Why does he insist of giving me such expensive cars? You and I both know it won't last for more than a few days."

"Just trying to keep you safe Little Girl." He walked away before I could protest.

I tossed the Rangeman clothes into the dumpster. Piling my laundry in the car, I decided to visit my parents for dinner. My mom left six messages inviting me to dinner. The washing machines in the building were broken and if I wanted to carry out my plan, I needed clean laundry. I parked in front of my parents' house and grabbed my laundry from the back seat. My Grandma was waiting for me at the door. "Hi Grandma."

She gave me a huge smile, "Hey Baby Granddaughter. I'm glad you came to dinner. She pointed at my laundry, the washer's empty, lets get those washed for you."

"Thanks Grandma. I was running out of clean clothes and the apartment building machines are broken again." It's sad when all my laundry could fit into one load.

Before we left the laundry room my Grandma gave me a bank book as she winked. "This is for you. Hide it and don't tell anyone you have it or who gave it to you." I didn't question her and hid the bank book in my sweatpants pocket.

"Hi Daddy. Is Valerie coming tonight?"

"Hi Pumpkin. Matthew is sick so they won't be able to make it."

I went into the kitchen to offer my mom help. "Hi Mom. Do you need any help?"

"Stephanie Michelle Plum. Don't you ever hang up on me again. Why do I have to have a rude daughter? Why can't you be polite like your sister Valerie? You need to quit you job and settle down with a fine man like Joe."

"Mom. Stop. I don't want to have this useless conversation with you again." I grabbed the mashed potatoes and green been casserole.

Grandma patted the seat beside her at the table. When I sat next to her, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and whispered, "Stephie, let it go. Just let her get through her rant. Eventually she'll tipple enough to pass out." She winked and pointed to the glass of 'iced tea' on the table.

I smiled. "Thanks Grandma." We made it through dinner with little conversation. I checked on my laundry and moved them to the drier. It takes at least thirty minutes for them to dry, so what can I do while I wait? My Dad was watching a hockey game. "Hey Daddy, who's playing?"

"Rangers vs Maple Leafs. The Rangers will win this game for sure."

"I agree Dad." I reached for the bowl of chips in his lap.

He smiled as he passed me the bowl. "Are you alright Pumpkin? Do you need any money?"

"I'll be fine Daddy. My rent is paid for the month and I'm alright for groceries. Thank you for offering."

Surprising me, he pulled me into a hug. "I'm proud of you Pumpkin."

"I love you Daddy."

"Love you too Pumpkin. Now lets watch the Rangers kick the Leafs ass." I laughed. My dad is the best. He's always been my rock. Forty-five minutes later I grabbed my laundry and went home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie and Hector plans her escape from Trenton. She decides to say her goodbyes, hoping everyone will let her leave and respect her wishes.

CHAPTER 3

Hector arrived promptly at 9 pm. He rapped twice, then three times, then once... our signal to indicate it was him. I quickly opened the door to let him in. He was alone since Manuel was working. “Hi Hector.”

“Angelita.” He kissed my cheek as I stroked his tear drop tattoo.

I pulled the bank book from my sweatshirt pocket. When I saw the balance I was shocked. “Hector, my Grandma gave me this bank book. It has over $5,000,000 in it. Is this for real?”

He reached out his hand, silently asking to look at it. After reading the branch and account number, he grabbed his non-Rangeman issued phone and entered them into a program. “Angel, this is very real. The account is listed under the name Angelita Cortez and it has your picture.” He showed me the information.

“How Hector? I didn’t open any accounts at the Bank of New York. In fact, I’ve never been to New York.” He continued inspecting the bank book.

“Angel, there’s a safety deposit key in here for the City National Bank in Pennsylvania. I know someone who can get us into the bank after hours. Do you want to go there now?”

“Yes. But only if I don’t have any trackers on me.”

“Let me search your purse for trackers.” He pulled out a weird looking device and scanned over my purse. The lipstick, mascara and pen were trackers. My Tic-Tac container and a small black patch in the inner pocket also contained trackers.

He found a small tracker located in my right shoe under the sole liner and a small tracker imbedded in my favourite hair elastic. “That many?” I squeaked. “I suspected the pen, lipstick and mascara, but the others are surprising.”

As he pointed at the trackers, he said, “The pen, hair elastic, the shoe, patch and Tic-Tac containers all have Rangeman trackers. I’ll take the other ones with me to locate their origin.”

Tracker free, we locked my apartment and climbed into Hector’s personal Humvee. I panicked seconds before Hector said, “Angel, this is my personal car. Rangeman does not install trackers on employee’s personal vehicles.” I was relieved. It took us forty-five minutes to drive to City National Bank. A young Latino man name Jose opened the bank door, granting us access. “Angel, this is Jose. He’s my cousin and works as a security guard for the bank. We already received permission from the Bank manager, who happens to be my Uncle.” I got the impression not many people knew of Hector’s relatives. I only knew he had a younger sister named Maria living in Manhattan.

His Rangeman coworkers know he has a sister, but not where she lives. He must trust me to keep quiet. “You can trust me Hector.”

“With my life.” I blushed. “You can trust me too Angelita.”

“I already do. You’re my best friend.” Of course he already knew that. If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t be here with him.

Jose led us to the vault to access the safety deposit box. I used the key to unlock it. Inside, there was a complete set of papers including photo ID for Angelita Cortez... with my picture. “How did these get here?”

Jose whispered, “Papá told me an elderly man from Trenton paid for the safety deposit box under the name Stephanie Plum ten years ago. The only stipulation? It needed to be kept off the bank’s records. He said when the time was right, she will need to access the box. No questions asked. It technically couldn’t be kept off the records, so Papá used my name in the official records. Since Stephanie has now collected the contents, I can use it for my own purpose.” I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the documents. Jose offered me help, “Hector, I have plans to visit Maria tomorrow. Will Stephanie trust her to protect the documents?”

“Angel, you can trust my sister. I helped her move to Manhattan when she was nineteen and changed her last name. We will move you to Manhattan when we complete our plan. She has a safe in her closet to protect your documents.”

“Okay. I trust you Hector.” We left the documents and bank book in Jose’s capable hands to deliver to Maria. He placed them in an envelope then sealed it. Both Hector and I signed the flap before we left. Hector took a picture of our signatures on the sealed flap. He wanted to ensure the documents arrived tamper free. It’s not as though he didn’t trust his cousin, but because anything could happen between here and New York.

Driving back to Trenton went too fast. “Angel, I already have a plan set up. I’m going to send you on a trip to California. Leave your luggage on the baggage carousel. When you leave the baggage claim, go to the women’s washroom on the first level. A navy blue bag with a silver stripe will be in the farthest stall from the door. Grab that bag. A ticket will be in the front pocket for Isabel Williams. Change into the clothes in the bag and wear the blond wig and contact lenses. Use the ticket and ID to fly to Denver CO. Take cab number 43, he will drive you to the next airport, where you will grab the black silver bag from the trunk. He will stop at a busy diner for you to change your clothes, wig and contacts. In the luggage front pocket, you’ll find another plane ticket and ID for Tasha Foster with a black wig to fly you into LaGuardia. Each wig has a different style. Each luggage will also have coloured contact lenses to change your eye colour. If you don’t feel comfortable wearing them, don’t. But the deeper your disguise, the more you can hide in plain site.”

“Why are you doing this for me Hector?”

“I love you Angel. This is the best way for me to protect you. Your flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. Manuel will drive you to the airport. If you want to leave notes for anyone, give them to me or Manuel. We will ensure they are delivered.”

“What will happen to the bags I leave behind?”

He gave me a devilish grin. “Your bag will be taken on another flight by your doppelgänger to Sydney Australia.”

“Hector, you’re amazing. How did you manage to set up such an elaborate plan? I’m going to miss you. I love you.”

“I set this up months ago. Stay safe. I love you too.” He walked me back to my apartment and did a safety sweep. “I‘ll park my car in a friend’s garage and keep watch over you tonight.” I hugged him before he left.

I heard the locks tumble on my front door at 4 am. Grabbing my gun from under my pillow, I removed the safety and quietly walked towards the front door. Ranger was standing in my foyer. “Looking good Babe.”

“What are you doing here Ranger?”

“I needed to see you.”

“I don’t want you here. Please leave.” This was one of the reasons I wanted to leave. He stepped closer and I raised my gun higher, pointing it at his head. “I asked you to leave.”

We stayed in our positions for nearly ten minutes. I refused to lower my weapon and Ranger knew I wouldn’t shoot him. Tank burst through my apartment door and yelled, “Bossman, she asked you to leave. It’s time for you to go.” He nodded in my direction and removed Ranger from my apartment. I clicked the safety back on and relocked my door. Why does everybody keep breaking into my apartment? Why did he show up when I made it obvious I didn’t want to see him?

It didn’t go without notice that he only shows up when it benefits him. I heard the special knock on my door and opened it to a smiling Hector. “Hector. What are you doing here?”

“I saw Ranger show up and contacted Manuel to send back up. Told him someone was breaking into your apartment.”

“Thank you for your help. I pulled a gun on him and he still refused to leave. Can you stay with me?”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the table. “I think you should leave letters for Ranger and Joe.” My notepad and pen were sitting it the middle of the table. The first letter I wrote to my sister.

_Valerie, I’ve decided to take a vacation. I traded in my travel vouchers and decided to visit California. Please pick up Rex from my apartment and keep him safe until I return. Tell Mom, Dad and Grandma for me. Thank you for your help. Give the kids hugs and kisses for me. Love, Stephanie. XOXOXO_

I decided to write the next letter to Joe.

_Joe, I’ve tried to tell you many times not to call me Cupcake. I hate that nickname. I hate the poems you wrote all over the men’s bathroom walls. You and I were never meant to be. We will NEVER get married. It’s time for you to give up the illusion of there being a ‘you and me’. I will NEVER love you. At one time I actually thought I loved you, but I quickly realized that I don’t. If you love someone, you love them for who they are and not ask them to change. You support their choice of career, you don’t ask them to quit their job. You build them up, not tell them they are a failure. You give them strength, not beat them into submission. You lift them up, not kick them when they’re down. If you ever loved me, you would let me go. Find yourself a nice Burg woman who will be everything you want and everything you are looking for and need. I am not that woman. I will never be that woman. Most importantly, I don’t want to be that woman. Don’t look for me. I don’t want to be found. Goodbye Joe. Your former ‘Cupcake’, Stephanie._

The letter to Ranger was going to be more difficult to write. He’s been there for me more than anyone I know. His support got me through a lot of difficult days.

_Ranger, my Batman, This is very difficult for me to do. I have loved you from the first day I met you. You have been my protector, my mentor and my best friend. I loved the way you supported my job choice, offering assistance when needed. I loved the way you loaned me cars until I could afford my own. You wanted to train me so I could be better at my job. You taught me how to shoot a gun and apprehend an FTA. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’m sorry for not allowing you to train me. I’m sorry for blowing up your cars. I’m even sorry for meeting you in the diner three years ago. If I never met you, I would have eventually given up on being a BEA. I wouldn’t have caused you to ‘bleed money every time you had to protect me’. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you. You wouldn’t have to ‘love me in your own way.’ Or offer me the kind of love that ‘doesn’t come with a ring but a condom will come in handy.’ I’m sorry Ranger, but I can no longer be your ‘entertainment’ or a ‘line item in your budget’. As you’ve told me many times, you are the ultimate opportunist. You constantly take advantage of my feelings for you. I can no longer continue this so called ‘relationship’ with you. I never asked you for marriage. I never asked you for children. All I wanted from you was your unconditional love. I would have been content just being in a loving relationship with you without qualifiers, without a ring and without children. What I could no longer do, was allow you to continue using my body for sex whenever you had the urge. In this manner, you were no better than Morelli. I deserve better in life. I deserve to be loved without qualifiers. I deserve to have my unending devotion and affection reciprocated. I waited for you to come to me once Morelli and I split for good. When you didn’t, I realized you didn’t love me as much as I love you. I need to find myself. I need to discover who I am. I need time to fall out of love with you. Have someone pick up your car. This will be the only time I return a car to you in the same condition it was left to me. Please don’t look for me. I don’t want to be found. One day I hope you find someone you can truly love. Someone you trust enough to tell your secrets. I now know that person can’t be me, it will never be me. You don’t trust me enough to offer even a small detail. I will always love you Ranger, in my own way. Please Carlos, let me go. Love Babe._

A few more letters needed to be written. “Hector, should I write a letter to my family, Vinnie and girls?”

“If you aren’t planning to return, it would be for the best.” I pulled the pad towards me again and started writing. I had a few more people to say goodbye to.

_Vinnie, Connie and Lula,_

_Vinnie... What can I say to you? I’m sorry to leave you in a tight spot. But I just can’t see myself continuing in your employment. Thank you for giving me a job, however reluctantly, when I needed one. You’ve always given me grief over the years, but you nonetheless helped me when I needed it most. However, this past year, you’ve given all the higher bonds to Joyce Barnhardt, which put me into a financially precarious position and causing you to forfeit the bonds. I barely made enough to pay my monthly rent. You are family. Has no one ever said you’re supposed to take care of your family first? I’m sad to realize I was just a joke to you. It hurt me deeply when I heard you tell Connie that you couldn’t rely on me or trust me and that I was merely entertainment. You aren’t the first person to call me that, dear cousin Vinnie. I was entertainment for the TPD, Rangeman and all of Trenton, especially the Burg. This is my official notice Vinnie. I QUIT!! Don’t contact me in any way, shape or form. Keep the money from my last capture. I’m done. Goodbye!_

_Connie... Thank you for trying to protect me when I first started at Plum Bonds. I realize how difficult it was for you to call in a favour and have Ranger train me. You have introduced me to the man I love and for that alone, I thank you. Over the last few years, you’ve become a trusted friend of mine._

_Lula... You have become an important person in my life. To this day, I regret Bonito hurting you as a result of assisting me on my first case. Over the last few years, you’ve become a trusted friend of mine. Thank you for having my back (most of the time). We shared a lot of food and laughs during our skip tracing. Thank you for being my friend._

_Connie and Lula... As I said before, you two have become my trusted friends over the last few years. I would do anything for you two and I was sad to discover it was not reciprocated. You see... the day before I decided to leave, I overheard you two talking and laughing over the latest Burg gossip about me. Apparently, you guys also thought I was here for your entertainment. To hear you both say you were only my friend to get closer to Ranger and his men really cut me deep. I thought we were friends. But, that was my error. We were never true friends. True friends are supportive and help one another when they need help. They have each other’s backs when people talk bad about them. I always had your back. Not once did I allow the Burg people to treat you poorly. I would’ve taken a bullet for either one of you. Unfortunately, neither of you would be willing to do the same. You encouraged the rumours about me in the Burg. I now know we were never friends after all. As the saying goes ‘with friends like you, who needs enemies?’ Goodbye Connie and Lula._

_Vinnie, Connie and Lula, Don’t contact me. I don’t want to be found. Goodbye, your cousin and ex-friend Steph._

_Dearest Grandma, I love you so much. When I grow up, I want to be just like you. Thank you for giving me wings to fly. Until I see you again, goodbye Grandma. Love always, your Baby Granddaughter. XOXOXOXOXOXO_

_Dear Daddy, I’m writing to tell you I have permanently left Trenton. I no longer belong. Mom always made me feel unloved and unwanted. I know you’ve always wanted a son, but thank you for taking me fishing, teaching me to build things and giving me encouragement to spread my wings and fly. Because of you, I have learned to fight for what I want. Right now, I want to leave the Burg. I will never fit into the Burg lifestyle and I don’t want to try. I was not ready to ‘quit my job, get married and have babies’. With the circulating rumours and lies those venomous people spread, I had no choice but to quit my job. I feel like there’s more for me out there. There’s something more important out there for me, more important than being a Burg wife. You always gave me comfort when I was feeling down. Thank you for being my Dad even though I wasn’t biologically yours (talk to Grandma... she has proof). This isn’t how I wanted you to find out, but you deserve to know the truth. I hate to ask this, but can you break the news to Mom? Oh... please tell Uncle Joe. He needs to know I’m safe. Tell him I love him and will miss him. I’m spreading my wings and taking flight. I’ll be alright Daddy. I feel something calling out to me. I know it will give me a higher purpose in life, I can feel it deep into my soul. When I find whatever I’m being drawn to, I’ll reach out to you Daddy. I will always need you in my life. For now, I’ll need to avoid contact with you. I’m sorry Daddy, please forgive me. Please send well wishes my way. Tell Valerie to give Rex to Mary Alice, she will love him as much as I do. I need to start over with a clean slate. Don’t worry about me dad, I’ll be alright. Until I see you again, bye for now Daddy, I love you. Forever your Pumpkin. XOXOXOXOXO_

_PS: Can you give Dillon my notice? Rent is paid to the end of this month. He can use my deposit to have my belongings removed either to donate or trash._

_Dearest Merry Men, Yes, I know you all hate me calling you that, but you all love me anyways. I wanted to thank all of you for having my back, for protecting me and for helping me. All of you are my brothers, my chosen family. I wasn’t going to write you guys a letter, but I felt you deserved to know why I left. I’m leaving because I no longer belong in Trenton. Everything I believed to be true, turned out to be lies. I need to discover who I am away from external influences, away from Ranger, away from Trenton and away from Rangeman. I need to find myself, to spread my wings and fly. I’m sorry I put you guys in danger whenever you protected me. I should have accepted the training you freely offered. I should have carried my gun on me at all times. I shouldn’t have stunned you all those times Hal, please forgive me. I shouldn’t have removed those trackers from my car, please forgive me Les and Tank. I shouldn’t have escaped my protective detail, please forgive me Cal, Bobby, Woody and_ _Hector. Please please please don’t try to find me. Don’t help anyone else find me. I need to do this for me. It’s important to my sanity to leave. However, I can’t allow you guys to get away with what you’ve done to me which solidified my decision to leave. You placed bets on how long it will take to blow up my cars. You would bet on how long it will take until I rolled in garbage. You would bet on when my apartment will be firebombed. I heard you guys even bet when I would break up with Joe and sleep with Ranger again. You guys treated me like I was only ‘entertainment.’ I have to admit, it hurt. If you didn’t already know, I am listed under ‘Entertainment’ in the Rangeman budget. At first I thought it was a joke, but when I saw a budget copy in Ranger’s desk, I discovered it was true. I refuse to be anyone’s entertainment. I refuse to be used, abused and bet on. I’m really hurt right now and need to move on with my life. I also left to get away from Ranger. I’m not willing to be in the type of relationship he offered. You know... ‘his life doesn’t lend to relationships’ even though he ‘loves me... in his own way’. That he can only give me the kind of relationship that ‘doesn’t give me a ring, but a condom will come in handy’. I deserve better than this. I never asked him for marriage or children and I didn’t want that from him. All I ever wanted from him... was to be loved without qualifiers. Apparently that was too much to ask, since he only wanted me for sex. Maybe I’ll come back someday... maybe I won’t. Time will only tell. They say time heals all wounds regardless how deep the scars. Take care of yourselves and don’t get shot. Goodbye until we meet again. Love Bomber, Bombshell, Little Girl, Sweetheart, Darlin, Beautiful, Steph, Estephania, Gorgeous. XOXOXO_

_Dearest Mary Lou, We have been friends for many years. You know how much I love and trust you. I’m leaving Trenton. You will not hear from me, but you, Lenny and the boys will always be on my mind. Tell Eddie, Shirley, Carl and Robyn that I love them and say goodbye for me. I don’t want anyone looking for me. Our friendship is important to me and I need to trust you to help me now. Forever your friend, Wonder Woman._

I sealed the letters in envelopes and wrote the recipients name on the outside. “Hector, I know you asked me to give these to Manuel later today, but can I give them to you instead? I want Joe and Ranger to think I’m going on vacation for a few weeks. Please ask my friend Mary Lou to spread that rumour. In two weeks, can you deliver the remaining letters? You’ll need to give Valerie her letter as soon as I leave. She needs to take Rex.”

“Any thing for you Angel.” I was thankful Hector never called me Angel or Angelita in front of the Merry Men. I grabbed my luggage from the closet. Hector planted a Rangeman tracker in the front pocket. “We have to keep it authentic. They will expect you not to find the tracker in the luggage.” I hastily packed random clothes in my luggage. It really didn’t matter what I packed since the clothes were going to Australia without me. Hector looked at his watch. “I have to leave. My shift starts in an hour.”

“Oh Hector, you should’ve gone home to sleep.”

He waved it off. “Angel, your safety was more important to me. I sent a new phone to Maria for you. Remember to leave your phone and your purse with your luggage. Do not take your old ID with you. Here’s a burner phone to use only in case of emergency. Please don’t have an emergency it will ruin our plan. I’ll pick up your gun later. Leave it in your cookie jar.”

I gave him a hug and lightly kissed his lips. “Bye Hector. I hope I can see you soon.”

He gave me a final hug then left as he said, “Happy Birthday Angel.”

Manuel is supposed to pick me up at noon to drive me to Newark airport. I still had a few hours to wait. I removed Rex’s bedding and food from the cupboard and placed them beside his cage for Valerie to grab.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie leaves Trenton behind and starts her new life.

CHAPTER 4

I popped my ‘Ghostbusters’ movie into the DVD player to watch it one last time. Taking the DVD with me will be too risky. Knowing Ranger, he likely installed a tracker in the case. Once the movie was finished, I took a shower and dressed for my vacation. I remembered to wear the shoes containing the Rangeman tracker. Manuel knocked on my door using our secret knock. I opened the door and he helped me carry my luggage to the car. “Stephanie, once your plane takes off, Ranger, Mary Lou and Vinnie will receive notification of your vacation time. Mary Lou has agreed to spread the rumour as soon as possible. Knowing how rumours spread in the Burg, Morelli will eventually be told. This goes without saying, but I didn’t help you with your great escape. I plan to visit my girlfriend in Newark today. She’s a student at Douglass College. Giving you a ride to the airport is simply me heading in the same direction as you.”

“Got it buddy. Nobody will hear about your involvement from me.” We talked about the program his girlfriend Veronica is taking a Douglass. She decided to take Business Administration. I laughed before saying, “That’s what I took there too. I was too busy partying to pay attention in class. Yet I still managed to graduate... in the bottom three percent.”

“It takes a lot of smarts to party that much and still graduate with a degree,” he wisely stated.

I never thought of it in that way. “Huh... what do you know.”

“Steph, you are a very intelligent woman. I heard when you worked at Rangeman for a few months, everyone was impressed with your ability to hone in on a skip’s location. You would have them located and under surveillance faster than anyone else, including Ranger. That takes serious skill. If Tank knew you had a business degree, he would have put you in charge of the client accounts and payroll.”

“I’m surprised Tank didn’t already know about my business degree. Aren’t all Rangeman staff subject to a rigorous background check? In fact, I ran the background check on you and recommended you for the IT job even though you applied for security. My spidey-sense knew you and Hector would work well together. Binkie is great with computers, but I felt his talents would be better utilized designing and installing security systems.”

“Binkie’s cool. Being the newest on the job, we went out for drinks a few times. We discussed our jobs and Binky is really happy to be in the design and install department. He said he would’ve hated my job.”

“Manny, I was wondering what I would find if I did a background check on me using Rangeman technology.”

He laughed. “Ya... I bet you would. Hector and I already ran a background check on you. It indicated you graduated from Douglass, but didn’t specify the degree. Your marriage and divorce, a lot of intensely invasive financial information and previous vehicles owned showed on your background check. Did you attend your convocation at Douglass? Did you sign up to be an Alumni?”

“No. I was away on my honeymoon and had to miss convocation. I couldn’t afford the Alumni fees.”

“That explains why your specific degree wasn’t listed. From the various courses you were enrolled in, it was difficult to determine your degree. The college only releases the information if you attend convocation or become an Alumni.”

I laughed, “I only took the mandatory business courses, replacing the elective courses with a few other areas of interest. The electives I chose were mainly in Sociology and Philosophy. I graduated with more credits in Philosophy and Sociology than Business Management.”

We arrived at the airport after an hour of driving. Manny dropped me off at my gate and handed me my boarding pass. “Happy Birthday Steph. Stay safe and follow the instructions.”

“Thank you for the ride Manny. Take care of yourself. I can’t thank you enough for what you did to help me.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He grabbed my luggage from the trunk and hugged me before driving away. I went through all the security checks and waited for my plane to board.

Glancing at my ticket, I noticed Hector placed me in Business class. I’ve never flew in Business class before. I quickly sent him a text knowing he’ll remove it from both phones once it was read. ‘Thank you.’ He never sent a reply, but I heard my phone chirp and the message disappeared. My phone wasn’t Rangeman issued, but I had the feeling it was still being tracked. The flight to California was delayed by ten minutes. I started to panic thinking I was going to mess up the plan.

We landed in California and I had no problems finding everything I needed. When I found the luggage in the bathroom, a pretty girl resembling me approached. “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it. You need to change quickly and pass me your clothes. Everything down to your underwear. Don’t worry, I won’t be wearing the ones you remove. I’ll add them to your luggage when I take another bathroom break before my next flight.” The girl entered the stall with me while I changed. “I know this is a bit awkward, but it’s important to make sure you don’t forget anything.” She took every item from my body including my earrings and watch. Opening the new bag, she passed me underwear, socks, pants, a pretty top, a blond wig, watch and brown contacts. “These will feel a bit weird, but it’s important to disguise yourself as much as possible. You are too important to be discovered before reaching your destination. I was told there was a possibility of the cameras being hacked to discover your location. Please follow all instructions.” She helped me with the wig and contacts.

“You’re right, they do feel a bit weird. Thank goodness the blond wig has long hair. I was afraid I’d look like my sister,” I said without thinking. Valerie wasn’t technically my sister, even though we did resemble one another.

She shoved me towards the door with my new luggage and said, “Good luck. I’ll leave a few minutes after you.” I located my next gate and was boarded immediately.

This routine repeated until I arrived at LaGuardia. I have no clue how Hector managed to find women resembling my disguises. Unless... my disguises were fashioned after the women I was resembling. ‘Hector, you are indeed a genius,’ I quietly muttered.

I have never travelled so much in two days. By now, the entire Burg will know I went on vacation to California. Little do they know, I’m closer to Jersey than they think. Maria picked me up from the airport. I knew it was her by her smile. She has the same smile as her brother Hector. As I approached her she asked, “Angelita Cortez?”

“Yes. You must be Maria Sanchez, Hector’s sister. He told me so much about you.”

Her smile faltered. “Did he tell you why I moved to New York and changed my last name?”

“No. I asked him, but quickly told him not to tell me. I realize it’s your story to share, if you choose to share it. I can only imagine why the name change was necessary.”

She hugged me. “I have a feeling we’re going to be best friends.” Her car is a blue Mini Cooper.

We put my luggage in the trunk and drove to her Manhattan apartment. “How much will I be paying for rent? Oh, and Hector said you’d help me find a job. Do you know anyone who’s hiring?”

“Angel, don’t worry about rent. Hector has it automatically paid from a hidden account. All I need to worry about is food and gas for my car. We’ll talk about the job once you get settled.” Her apartment is spacious. It must cost a fortune to live here. “My bedroom is the first room on the right, your bedroom is the second door on the right. The gym, meditation room and bathroom are the three doors on the left. The gym is in the back corner, the bathroom is in the middle and the meditation room is the first door on the left. I originally had it in the back corner, but it was too noisy from the traffic.” I walked down the hall to my bedroom. It had a king sized bed, a walk in closet, a small dresser and night stands on each side of the bed. “Feel free to change the decor.”

“Maria?”

“Yes?”

“Why is the closet and dresser full of clothes and shoes?”

She laughed. “Hector filled your closet and dresser when he visited six months ago. He told me I will have a roommate, but I had to wait until she was ready to move in. I was told to replace any clothing item that goes out of style.”

I opened my dresser and found lingerie sets in various colours. “These are really soft. Please tell me your brother didn’t buy these for me.”

“He had the most fun shopping for your lingerie. I was surprised he knew your size.”

“I’m not. Ella, the housekeeper at Rangeman, has my clothing sizes stored on her work computer. It would be easy for your brother to access that information.”

In Trenton, Ranger was having me tracked. He watched his computer map as my trackers moved from California to Florida then disappeared. Tapping on his phone, he sent Hector a text ‘Stephanie’s tracker disappeared off the Florida coast. Find her.’

Ranger called Tank, “In my office now.”

Tank strolled into his office and asked, “Boss? What’s got you all worked up?”

Ranger replied, “I need to take an emergency trip to California. You’re in charge.” Tank nodded and correctly assumed Ranger will not elaborate.

Hector smiled when he read the text. He thought to himself, ‘You’ll never find her boss.’ Hacking into the security videos, he looked for Stephanie. He detected her doppelgänger boarding another plane, but couldn’t locate the real Stephanie. ‘Good job Angel. He won’t be able to find you.’

In order to offer her more protection, and to throw Ranger off her trail, he set up phase 2 of his plan. Using his personal laptop, he set up videos to have her sporadically show on various airport security feeds throughout Europe and Asia. Hector sent these videos to his hacker friends in Europe and Asia. They assured him that they will help with the plan. He texted Ranger in Spanish, ‘She boarded a plane from California. It appears she’s heading to Australia.’ He knew his boss would ask for him to hack into other airport security feeds.

Maria and I chatted until it was time for dinner. My stomach growled loudly which sent us into fits of giggles. “I haven’t eaten in two days. I’m starving.”

“Why didn’t you say something? I have lots of food in the fridge. Or would you prefer ordering take out?” She saw the reluctance on my face. “You don’t need to be afraid here. I usually place the order and the door man, George Barton, brings it to the apartment. There’s a fund he uses to pay for the food.” I relaxed while Maria ordered the food. “I know your real name. Hector always talks about you. You can trust me to protect your secret.”

“It’s difficult to know who I can trust. But for some reason, I know I can trust you.”

“I put your envelope on your bed. You should open it to confirm the contents. We need to burn the envelope as soon as possible. It has your real name on it.” I ran to my room to grab the envelope. Hector told me to check for tampering before I opened it. Maria grabbed her cell phone and sent a picture of the signed flap to Hector. He texted back a ‘thumbs up’ symbol to indicate it was safe to open.

I peeled back the flap and removed my ID, Social Security number, birth certificate, diploma and bank book. “There’s a safe in your closet. You need to program your own passcode first.” She held out her hand so she could show me the location. I thought about the passcode to use and decided on 19180704, using Captain America’s birthday to celebrate my new freedom. My documents and bank book were added to the safe and locked. “Hector left you a secure cell phone. The one you travelled with needs to be disabled and locked in your safe.”

She held out her hand until I passed her my travel phone. Maria removed the SIM card and cut it into small pieces. The battery was removed before I placed it and the phone into the safe. “What about the job I asked about earlier? If I don’t work, I’ll go crazy.”

“You’ll be working at Club Chez Amie which is a few doors down. Your first shift is tomorrow night... with me.”

“Yay. I actually know my co-worker already. It’s nice to forego all whole ‘interview’ process. Is the boss nice?”

“I don’t know. Do you think I’m nice?” she said with a smirk.

My jaw dropped open. “You own the club?”

“Yes. Hector is a silent partner. So silent you can’t even find his name on the business license.” I was looking forward to working with my new roommate. George called to tell us our food arrived and will be brought to the apartment. We ate our Chinese food as we learned more about each other.

I moved to Manhattan NY from Trenton NJ last week. Hector’s sister, Maria, is amazing. After I settled in, she handed me a secure phone from Hector. “Why did it take you so long to give me the phone?”

“I needed to make sure you weren’t going to call home and give away your location.”

“That makes perfect sense. I was close to stealing your cell phone to call people. It took a lot of willpower to prevent me from using the Club’s phone.”

Hector called a few minutes later. “Angelita. Are you settling in alright?”

“I am. Thank you. Your sister is amazing.” I blushed as I added, “You have amazing taste in women’s clothing. Everything fits perfectly and the lingerie is so soft. How much fun did you have purchasing those items?”

He laughed from embarrassment. “Angel, they feel as soft as your skin.” Now I was feeling embarrassed. During the last year, when I was injured, Hector took care of me. He cleaned my wounds, massaged my stiff muscles and made sure I had groceries. I felt bad for not asking for help during my last few months in Trenton. “I knew you were in trouble when you didn’t accept my help. You started withdrawing from our friendship around seven months ago. It prompted me to make an escape plan for you, should you require one. I would do anything for you Angelita. You are my sister, though we aren’t biologically related. I will do anything for my family.”

“I love you too Hector. Thank you for being the family I needed. Hector?”

“Yes Angel?”

“Can you discretely transfer funds from my account to Rangeman’s and make the transaction untraceable? I think it’s necessary to pay back the money Ranger spent while protecting me. I have no desire to be in his debt.”

“I already replaced all funds paid for your protection. Before you give me a difficult time, I was more than happy to pay Rangeman back on your behalf. It was listed under ‘anonymous donation’ in the Rangeman books. Only the accountant knows who transferred the funds and he signed a NDA to not disclose that information to his staff or Ranger.” I felt so much better even though I wanted to repay Hector. We talked for a few more minutes until I needed to end the call and get ready for work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie discovers the downside to her last encounter with Ranger. Her father realizes that all is not as it seems.

CHAPTER 5

The next few weeks flew by. I was expecting my period any day now. In fact, it should have started a few days ago. I’ll pick up a pregnancy test on my break tonight. The closest pharmacy is half a block away. At the pharmacy, I paid for the pregnancy test and asked to use the washroom to take the it in private. The pharmacist allowed me to use the washroom after noticing the panic in my eyes. I was sad when I saw the two pink lines. “I assume this is unexpected?” she asked after seeing tears on my face.

“Yes. I just needed to make sure my suspicions was correct. Thank you for allowing me to use your washroom. By the way...” I wiped away my tears, showed her the test and said, “I’m pregnant and I don’t know what to do about it.” She handed me a business card for the closest free clinic. I said thanks and assured her I would visit the clinic in the morning. Today started off great, but it quickly went down the toilet. I never wanted to have a baby. In fact, a baby was never on my radar. Being a mother was never a goal I hoped to achieve. It’s not that I didn’t like children, I just couldn’t see myself as a mother.

I could imagine my Mom’s condescending tone now, ‘Why me? Why is my daughter such a slut? What did I do to deserve a child who gets pregnant outside of marriage?’ I laughed after that thought. Saint Valerie became pregnant with Lisa and Matthew before she finally married Albert. It is yet another way to show me Valerie is more respected and favoured. I asked the pharmacist to dispose of the pregnancy test, then headed back to the Club. Being a bartender in the VIP section was cathartic. The rich and famous weren’t as creepy and touchy feely as the men in the general public area of the Club. At least most of them weren’t. I occasionally worked as a waitress when we were short staffed. Exhaustion hit after my shift was completed. The last group of VIPs looked like members of the Avengers and they tipped well. My neck tingled when a man entered the section. I looked around in panic expecting to see Ranger. A man, who closely resembled Captain America kept following me with his eyes all night. I learned quickly, he was the cause of my neck tingle, so I shrugged it off. I’m not interested in having a relationship with anyone at the moment. Besides, who wants to date a woman pregnant with another man’s child? I still need to find myself, to discover who I want to be and to feel comfortable with who I become. So far, being a bartender at Club Chez Amie feels like home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Trenton, Ranger read the letter I left him then called Tank into his office. “Tank, what am I supposed to do? She left me and I can’t find her. I really messed up. How could she not know I love her with my whole heart, body and soul? She’s my sunshine, my life, my lover, my everything.”

“Boss, you should have told her how you felt without adding those stupid qualifiers. Did you really expect her to tolerate your evasiveness forever?”

Ranger put his head in his hands and cried. “I lost her forever. I can feel it. She will never be mine again. You’re right, I should have told her how I felt without the qualifiers. I was hoping she’d become my wife and the mother of my children. I was willing to give her anything she wanted. I was going to propose. But it’s too late for us now. She should have stayed when I asked her to. I was going to ask her to be with me forever.”

Tank stared at his shoes as his best friend and boss mourned the loss of the woman he loves.

Joe Morelli read the letter delivered to him. He was furious and ranted, ‘How dare she leave me. She’s mine and she knows it. I used every connection of mine to find that bitch. When I find her, she will regret leaving me.’ He entered the bar and ordered a beer. After he drank four beers, he calmed down. An attractive brunette with blue eyes sat on the stool next to him. It was her twenty-first birthday and wanted to celebrate. This was her first time to a bar and she wanted to experience it on her own. There was only one empty stool at the bar, next to an attractive man drinking a beer. She looked at his face, then trailed her eyes over his body. He smirked as he said, “Do you see something you like?”

She nodded shyly. He waved over the bartender and bought her a drink. “Thank you,” she said as blush coloured her cheeks. She drank her beer and said, “It’s my birthday today.”

He smiled in his charming way and said, “Happy birthday honey. Would you like to continue this celebration at my house?”

“No. How about my house? It’s just around the corner.” The bartender attempted to stop the woman from leaving with him, but she brushed him off. It’s her birthday and she was going to pick up this man from the bar. They left together, hand in hand. She had no idea this would be her last birthday.

He followed her into a small house and kissed her. He pulled her shirt over her head and quickly removed her bra. She enjoyed the feel of his hands and lips on her breasts. Being a virgin, she didn’t know what she was supposed to do. When she tried to talk, he silenced her with a kiss. Joe called her Cupcake and said he’d make her feel really good. He lifted her and moved to her couch. Using his experienced hands, he removed her jeans and panties. His finger plunged into her. She moaned in pleasure. Why did she wait so long to have sex? If she had known it felt so good, she would’ve done it years ago. He added another finger to stretch her. “You’re so tight Cupcake.”

He lowered his mouth and sucked on her clit. She experienced her first orgasm. “Stop. I can’t take anymore.”

“Shhh Cupcake. Let me make you feel so good.” Fear ripped through her as she attempted to buck him off her body. He punched her in the face and knocked her out. Grabbing the condom from his pocket, he unzipped his pants and wrapped himself before plunging into her. “Cupcake you feel so good.” He alternated between beating her and fucking her until he emptied himself into the condom. He carefully removed the condom, wrapped it in Kleenex and placed it in his jeans pocket. Finding the bathroom, he grabbed a washcloth and soap. He carefully washed her face, breasts and body. Everywhere he kissed and licked, he washed thoroughly. He even used the soapy cloth to wash the inside of her mouth. “That will teach you to run away from me Cupcake.” He pocketed the wash cloth, left her house, wiping his prints from the door. An hour later, Kiera Duncan dies from asphyxiation.

My Merry Men read their letter and became more irate with every word they read. They were furious with Ranger’s treatment towards me. But they realized they were not blameless either. The men realized how much they hurt me and wanted to beg me to forgive them. “We need to find Bomber to apologize. I wonder who told her about the bets?” Junior asked.

Vince sarcastically said, “You don’t remember? We all thanked her whenever we won a bet. We just didn’t realize how much it was hurting her.”

Lester grabbed Hal and ran to the Rangeman garage. “Hal, I know someone who will know where she is or can send a message to her.”

“Who? Connie? Lula? Her parents? Mary Lou?” Lester touched his nose when Hal said ‘Mary Lou’. They jumped into the closest SUV and drove to Mary Lou’s house. Lester knocked on the door, feeling excited to finally get a message to me.

They asked Mary Lou to pass along a message to me. Mary Lou regretfully told them, “Sorry guys, I don’t know where she is and I have no way to contact her. She left me a letter too.” She handed the letter to Lester to read. He passed it back to her and apologized for their interrogation. “Steph only told me she was going on vacation to California, I had no idea she left for good,” she said through tears. “We’ve been friends for a long time. She must have been really hurt. It’s the only explanation for leaving without giving me a proper goodbye.”

Lenny came to the door when he heard Mary Lou cry. “Please leave. We don’t know where Stephanie is. Can’t you see how much pain you’re causing my wife?” Les and Hal quickly apologized then returned to Rangeman. Lenny kissed his wife and said, “You played your part well Mary Lou. I’m so proud of you.”

Mary Lou smiled and said, “I’m so glad she didn’t give us contact details. It would’ve been too difficult to keep that secret too... I don’t like to lie.”

“I know honey. She was protecting you,” Lenny wisely stated.

Frank read his letter. He was furious. Not about his Pumpkin leaving, but because his wife was cheating on him in their early years of marriage. Helen left earlier for grocery shopping. Both Frank and Edna stayed home to read their letters. “Edna, can we talk?” Edna nodded and sat next to Frank on the couch. “What do you know about the paternity tests?”

His mother in law sighed and said, “I was wondering when you’d ask about that. Give me a minute, I have to grab something from my room.” He nodded as she went to her room. Edna opened her lingerie drawer and pulled the document from the hidden compartment. Once she sat on the couch, she handed it to Frank.

He read the papers which confirmed neither Valerie nor Stephanie were his daughters. “What does this mean?”

“Frank, it means you weren’t the person to impregnate Helen.” She reached into her pocket and passed Frank another document. This one was issued from the Army infirmary during his hospitalization after his final mission. He met Helen between missions. They had a three day affair and fell in love... so he thought. He was deployed on a two month special ops mission to kill the man who was trading kidnapped girls for weapons. His team was sent to kill this vile man, rescue the girls and return them to their families. It was a difficult mission and the intel was bad. He lost half his men on the mission and was shot in the scrotum. In the document, the doctor said he repaired the damage, but could not guarantee he could father children.

Frank grabbed his phone to call his doctor. He was scheduled for an ultrasound for that afternoon. “Edna, why didn’t you show me these documents before?”

She moved her dentures around her mouth and said, “When Henry and I did the paternity test, Steph was already born. We had the hospital lab run the DNA test as soon as she was born. Henry provided the sample from Valerie at that time and we used your toothbrush for your DNA sample. You were involved in Valerie’s life and we didn’t want to ruin that for her. I found the Army letter a few years ago when I sold my house. It was hidden under the loose floor board in Helen’s old room. I’m sorry Frank, I should have told you earlier.”

He went to his appointment and returned home to ask Helen who fathered Valerie and Stephanie. “Frank, you’re being ridiculous. You’re the father. Who else could it possibly be?” Helen continued lying to him.

He shouted, “I have proof I’m not their father. My doctor confirmed the possibility today. When I completed my last mission, I was shot in the scrotum. The doctor attempted to repair the damage. The ultrasound showed my vas deferens is blocked from scarring and the sperm count test shows no active sperm. My doctor said the scarring is old and I could not possibly be Valerie or Stephanie’s biological dad. You and I continued our relationship a month after my return. You became pregnant a few months later, so I married you to protect your honour.” He was getting angrier as Helen denied his accusations. “I’m demanding another paternity test for Valerie and Stephanie to prove I’m not their biological father. Valerie met me at the doctors to provide a blood sample. Ranger provided me with a copy of the DNA profile they had on file for Stephanie. I’ll have the results in a few weeks. I’ve asked them to be delivered to an unbiased third party. When the results confirm I am not Valerie or Stephanie’s father, you will receive divorce papers from my lawyer.” Helen grabbed the bottle of Jimmy Beam and drank it like water.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie comes to terms with her pregnancy and all that happens as a result. She’s getting closer to discovering why she was compelled to leave Trenton.

CHAPTER 6

The clinic opened at 7 am. I could barely sleep last night, worrying about the unexpected pregnancy. During the night I felt sharp pains on my left side, keeping me awake. Maria was still asleep when I took my shower, called a cab and left for the clinic. Dr Meredith Shephard was on duty. I signed in with Triage at the clinic and explained the reason for my visit. The nurse, Emily Stevens, led me to the bed closest to the back of the room. She handed me a hospital gown and told me to change. The curtains were pulled closed to allow some privacy. “Angelita? Hi, I’m Dr Meredith Shephard. According to your chart, you’re recently pregnant and have pains in your lower left abdomen?”

“Yes doctor. I just found out yesterday that I’m pregnant. The father isn’t in the picture, and never will be.”

She nodded and made a few notes on her chart. “When was the last time you had a period?”

“I was actually due for one a few weeks ago. So it would be fourty-two days ago... what ever date that was.”

“Hmmm. Lay down and let me check you abdomen.” I allowed to her press her fingers into my abdomen. When she pressed the spot on my left side, I couldn’t contain my screen. It was really tender. “Emily, can you bring me the Ultrasound?” Emily went into a separate room to grab the portable ultrasound machine. Dr Shephard showed me the transvaginal wand. “This will be a bit uncomfortable, but with being six weeks pregnant, it will give me the best results.” I pulled my feet up along the bed, relaxed my knees to allow the examination. After a few minutes, she used the abdominal wand and passed it over the sensitive spot. I fought back the tears as she pressed into my side. “I know this is painful. But I need to get a clear picture.”

She took a few screen shots before showing me the baby. “Miss Cortez, here’s your baby. You have an ectopic pregnancy. Unfortunately your baby attached to the fallopian tube instead of your uterus. You need surgery to remove the fetus and part of your fallopian tube. I must warn you, it will make it more difficult for you to conceive in the future. Given the amount of pain you’re experiencing, we need to perform the surgery today.”

I nodded barely understanding what was happening. The doctor handed me the ultrasound photo for a keepsake. I’ll add that to my safe contents. “Can I call my roommate Maria? She’ll be worried about me if I don’t tell her what’s happening.” She passed me my purse so I could make my call.

Maria met me at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital. The procedure was done laparoscopically to reduce my recovery time. I was surprised to find Hector waiting for me in the recovery room. “Angelita, I’m sorry about your baby.”

“It’s alright Hector. I wasn’t planning to keep it anyways. If it wasn’t for being an ectopic pregnancy, I would have aborted or put it up for adoption. This was for the best, no Catholic guilt involved.” He hugged me and murmured in Spanish.

Maria walked into the recovery room with my doctor. “Hey roomie, the doctor is here to spring you from this joint. Hector, can you leave so I can help her change?” He nodded then stepped into the hallway. Once I was dressed, Maria handed me my purse. I pulled out the ultrasound picture to show her. She looked at the picture and cried. “I’m so sorry Angel.”

“Don’t be sorry. I told your brother I wasn’t planning to keep it anyways. It was either abortion or adoption. This was for the best, now I don’t need to make that difficult decision. Besides, I don’t really want to be a mother.” She wrapped her arm around my waist as we exited the room. My next appointment is with my bed, the after care instructions indicated rest for a few days.

We only had two bartenders, per area, working Sunday night to Thursday night. I worked the VIP area with Kyle and Maria worked the other area with Peter. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask Carlie to cover your shifts for a few days,” Maria answered my unasked question.

“I can work my Friday shift in a reduced capacity. Do you think Carlie will mind taking over the larger orders?”

“She’ll be fine. Jeff will help her.” Hector left after settling me back into my apartment. The ultrasound picture was placed in a protective cover and locked away in the safe. I wasn’t planning to keep the picture, but I had a feeling it may be needed.

I was starting to get paranoid when Hector told me Ranger and Joe ignored my instructions and started looking for me. Ranger began his search the day I left Trenton. The men used my trackers, attempting to find my location. They didn’t know they were only following my purse, shoes and luggage. I was nowhere near those items. Ranger was furious when my trackers went permanently off-line. All ID, wigs, clothing and luggage were burned in an incinerator at each destination. Hector’s friends took care of everything. Each of them understood the necessity of my plight, as they too required help escaping from people in their pasts. He mentioned Ranger had searched the airport video security tapes to see if I took a flight away from California. Ranger discovered me, actually my doppelgänger, boarding a plane for Sydney Australia. He had rearranged his schedule to fly to Sydney in hopes to locate me. Luckily, when he tried to procure the security videos, he was informed they are overwritten daily, meaning there are no copies to view. When he searched other US airports, he was unlucky there as well. He completely missed the window of opportunity to locate me. Breathing a sigh of relief, I thanked Hector once again for my freedom. I’ve recently discovered there’s no price for your freedom.

As time passed, the likelihood of Ranger and Joe locating me diminished. I began to relax after six more months. The more time passed, the more I was convinced they wouldn’t be able to find me. I was curious about what was happening in Trenton and what people were saying about me. But if I pulled up any Trenton newspaper article, my IP address will be pinged and Ranger could potentially find me. When I worked at Rangeman, I added a protocol to notify Rangeman when the IP address of anyone outside a fifty mile radius accesses the local news websites. We caught a lot of FTAs using this protocol. I was hoping Hector will remove the protocol. He warned me if he did, Ranger will suspect his involvement in my escape.

The Avenger doppelgängers often arrived at Club Chez Amie once a month. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen any of them. I wanted to ask my co-workers if anyone saw them recently, but as part of club policy, they are prevented from sharing the information. Guests in the VIP section were to remain anonymous to others, employee or guest, in the club. After all, they paid a premium to ensure our silence and their anonymity. Maria and I were the only staff members permitted to work in all the areas of the club. This ensured the privacy of our VIP guests. Tonight, Maria and I were working at the VIP bar. It was really quiet. While we waited for our guests, I removed my ponytail and asked Maria, “Did you ever notice this weird birthmark in my hairline?” I was concerned it would be visible to the guests.

Maria looked where I pointed. “Huh. I don’t remember seeing that a few weeks ago when I braided your hair.”

I rolled my eyes. “When I washed my hair this morning, it hurt in that area. I looked in the mirror and saw this mark. At first I thought it was a bruise, but then it suddenly stopped hurting. Now it looks like a birthmark. I wonder why we never noticed it before.”

Maria looked at it again, “You’re right. It does look like a birthmark, but I’ve never seen it before. Maybe it just appeared today. You should pull your hair back again and wash your hands. Our guests have arrived.” I ran to the bathroom to fix my hair and wash my hands.

My neck tingled as three men dressed in business suits arrived. I quickly looked at the men to see if one of them was Ranger, breathing a sigh of relief when I didn’t see him. Maria seated the men at their reserved table, far away from the bar. They reserved the entire VIP section to conduct their business in private. Their food order was sent up to the bar via the dumb waiter. I cleared my throat as I approached their table with the food, but I could still hear parts of their conversation. They appeared to be looking for a man named James Barnes. Before they had a chance to remove the map from the table, I pointed at South Beach on Staten Island. “He’s there, in a white clapboard cabin on the beach... around thirty miles inshore from here.”

The Captain America doppelgänger asked, “Are you sure?”

I thought for a few minutes and said, “One hundred percent sure.” He quickly removed the map from the table so I could place their food in front of them. “Let me know if any of you need anything else. My name’s Angelita, but you can call me Angel.” They nodded before tucking into their food. There was something about those three men compelling me to help. James must be important to these men, especially the Captain America doppelgänger. It’s been a long time since I felt the desire to help others. Throughout their meal, I noticed the men glance towards the bar. I could always tell when the Captain America doppelgänger was looking at me. My neck tingled every time he looked my way. I haven’t experienced this since the last time I saw Ranger. When I first felt it months ago, I was afraid Ranger found me. Of course I’m still worried he would find me, but I now realize the man at the reserved table was inciting this reaction. The reaction to him was much stronger than the Ranger reaction. Recently, I realized a difference between the two men. With Ranger, the tingling would only occur if he was near. For this man, the tingling sensation would occur whenever he would look at me, as well as when he was near. Almost like he would think of me, and my neck would tingle to notify me. I wonder why our connection is stronger. What is so special about this man? Who is he to me? Why is my body responding to this gorgeous man?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ranger was losing his patience daily. It’s been six months since he last saw me. The Rangeman staff has learned to avoid him as much as possible. He called several of his men to the mats whenever he heard them mention my name. Ranger called Hector and Manuel into his office. “You called us boss?” Manuel asked.

“I want you to search DMV records in every state and city to locate Stephanie,” he barked.

Manuel looked at Hector. In Spanish, Hector said, “Sorry Boss. We can’t use our resources to search DMV records. We already have her name tagged in the nationwide database. If she applies for a license in any of the fifty states, we will be notified.”

Ranger growled, “Then search for her picture.”

Hector shook his head, “We would need to hack into each DMV database to complete that search. I am not willing to help with this search. Stephanie asked all of us to leave her alone, to not search for her. We need to respect her wishes. It was this attempt to control her actions that caused her to run. I believe she will allow us to find her when she wants to be found. We must be patient.”

Ranger called him to the mats. Hector thought, ‘I will always protect you Angel.’ The men watched as Ranger and Hector sparred in the ring. Neither Ranger nor Hector held back. Ranger was furious Hector refused to comply with his request. Hector was protecting his Angel and fought to maintain my freedom. Ranger was pinned by Hector and was forced to tap out.

Tank met Ranger in the change room. “Boss. I know Little Girl left on her birthday. During the last few years, you were always ‘in the wind’ on her birthday.”

Ranger slammed his fist into the locker. “Dammit! It was never my choice to be away on her past birthdays.” Tank shook his head.

“When you did come back, have you acknowledged her birthday? From our intel, she spent every birthday, for the last 3 years, alone in her apartment. Her closest friend, Mary Lou, would bake her a cake and deliver it to her with a card. Every year, Stephanie would watch Ghostbusters and eat her birthday cake alone. Only her family would call with birthday wishes. None of us knew when it was her birthday, until we performed a background check after she left. Were you aware her birthday is two months after your birthday?” Tank asked.

“Yes. I knew.” Tank shook his head and left Ranger’s office. He was angry with his boss.

As Tank left, he thought, ‘I understand why you left Little Girl. Stay safe.’

Joseph Morelli visited a new bar every month. His search for me ended after finding my first replacement. He would see a woman with brown hair, blue eyes and approach her. She knew who he was and was happy the ‘Italian Stallion’ chose her to take home. He would kiss her passionately, causing her knees to buckle. She allowed him to strip her, call her ‘Cupcake’ and have his way with her. If he was too rough, she wouldn’t complain. When a woman does complain, he would beat her. She never went to the police, because he was the police and at the TPD, they protect their own. He was careful to not lose control like that first night. His colleagues searched his house for evidence, suspecting him of murdering Kiera Duncan. She resembled Stephanie enough to draw suspicion. Even drunk, he knew to dispose of the evidence.

He never realized Eddie, Carl and Big Dog were tracking his movements. Eddie placed a tracker on Morelli’s car. Between Carl, Big Dog, Eddie and Robyn, they were monitoring his movements. It’s a matter of time before Joe messes up again. One of his conquests will inevitably fight back, causing him to fly over the edge. When this happens, they will catch him. Eddie hoped Stephanie will stay safe where she is currently hidden.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie finds her family. Happy birthday Stephanie.

CHAPTER 7

In Trenton, my dad received the paternity results. Frank opened the sealed envelope and pulled out three pieces of paper. The first document showed results between him and Valerie. He read ‘The match between Frank Plum and Valerie Kloughn is 0%. Frank Plum is not the biological father of Valerie.’ Tears streamed down Frank’s face as he set the page down to read the next result. ‘The match between Frank Plum and Stephanie Plum is 0%. Frank Plum is not the biological father of Stephanie.’ He slammed that paper on top of the first result. Curious, he started reading the last page.

Mr Plum,

I have reviewed the DNA results for Valerie and Stephanie. After consulting with my colleagues, we have determined not only are Valerie and Stephanie not biologically yours, they are in fact not related to each other. We conducted further tests to compare their mitochondrial DNA. This type of DNA should be identical if Helen Plum is their biological mother. The results from their mitochondrial DNA indicates Helen Plum did not give birth to either Valerie or Stephanie. We are unable to provide you with conclusive proof of which girl does not belong to Helen. Given the abnormalities we detected in Stephanie’s DNA, we are reasonably comfortable to say she is not Helen’s biological daughter.

It is our recommendation to investigate the events around Stephanie’s birth. Someone at the hospital may have been involved with switching Stephanie with Helen’s daughter. Unfortunately, this may be an exercise in futility.

Jason Phillips,

CEO Labtech Industries.

Frank went to his garage to make a call. “Hi Nick... Yes. I have the results, you can serve the papers to Helen at your earliest convenience.” He ended the call before returning to the house. Helen was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Frank left her to cook dinner as he moved to his bedroom to pack her clothes. He refused to leave a house he paid for with his hard earned cash. Nick had instructions to serve her with the divorce papers and escort her from the premises.

Edna watched as Frank packed Helen’s clothes in suitcases. “Do you need any help Frank?” she asked.

He quickly glanced over his shoulder, “I can handle this. Nick will be serving the papers soon. I’ll need your help when he arrives.” Frank handed her the documents he received.

She worked her dentures around with her tongue as she read the results. “Sure Frank. I’ll help. I’m sorry you had to find out about Stephanie this way. I should have told you about her years ago.”

Raising an eyebrow he asked, “How did you know?”

“Henry and I suspected she was swapped in the hospital. With how sick that baby was, there was no way for her to survive. Somebody gave you a special gift with Stephanie. She’s a special girl. I know she will always consider you to be her father. She loves you,” Edna said.

Frank snapped, “If she loved me, she would never have left.”

Edna gently tapped his shoulder, “I found the letter she wrote to you. Give her time to heal. She’ll come back to you. Have faith in her.” She left Frank alone to finish packing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More months flew past as Maria and I continued working at Chez Amie. Business has been booming and we hired more staff for the main club area. We moved our more seasoned wait staff to the VIP lounge to assist us.

I received an email from Hector marked urgent. When I opened the email, I found an attachment declaring Frank and Helen Plum’s marriage has been dissolved. It was finalized a few weeks ago. Hector also informed me that Frank sold the house and was moving to New York. He accepted a security position at Stark Industries.

Grabbing my phone, I quickly called Hector. “Angel,” he answered.

“Hi Hector, is it safe to talk?” I asked

“Yes. I’m at home. I have the day off.”

I sighed in relief, “Thank goodness. I received your email. Is it possible to arrange a meeting for me and dad?”

“For you Angel, I will do anything. Frank will be arriving in New York on Sunday,” he informed me.

“That’s a few days after my birthday. Do you think he’ll meet me at the club? It’s time for me to see him again. I miss him,” I said frowning.

“He gave me his secure cell phone number. I will reach out to him after he arrives in New York. My vacation week starts on Saturday. I planned to visit you and Maria soon.”

“Thank you Hector. I look forward to seeing you soon.”

We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.

I’ve been living in Manhattan for a year now and enjoyed the busy city life. Maria, Peter, Carlie and Phil surprised me with a birthday cake before our shift tonight. “How did you know?”

Maria hugged me and whispered, “Hector told me. He wanted to make sure you didn’t spend your birthday alone. Don’t worry, I didn’t buy you a gift.” I really love that man. I’ll have to talk to him again later. He must have warned Maria not to buy me a gift. Phil grabbed our dinner from the kitchen and placed it on the bar.

We sat on the bar stools to eat our dinner and birthday cake for dessert. “Thank you so much for doing this for me guys. It’s the best birthday ever.” I gave each of them a hug and kiss.

Maria piped up, “Okay, lets clean up our mess and get to our stations.” Carlie, Phil and Peter were now working in the VIP lounge. We were constantly booked. Maria and I were unable to handle the number of guests on our own. I am still working at Club Chez Amie as a bartender in the VIP lounge. There was still no need for me to date anyone. Not like I haven’t been asked, but simply because I wasn’t interested. After my disastrous relationship with both Ranger and Morelli, I was afraid to lose myself again to a man. Maria and I have been taking Krav Maga and yoga. We both obtained our license to carry concealed, passing our gun qualifications with flying colours. A few times we were required to draw our guns in the bar to prevent brawls or protect our wait staff. I was proud all my hard work was visible on my body. My abs were more toned than ever, as were my arms, legs and shoulder muscles. I know I am capable of protecting myself and I’m more comfortable in my own skin. My confidence in myself has improved dramatically from the first time I arrived in Manhattan. I’m a strong, smart, loving, loyal, friendly and kind woman. I don’t need a husband or kids to prove my self worth. The only question I still have is ‘Who is my mom?’ Grandma told me years ago that Helen wasn’t my mom. She said my dad wasn’t my biological dad either, but to me he will be forever my dad. Our home gym had impressive weight training machines, courtesy of Hector. He also outlined an exercise schedule which made it fun for both me and Maria. Club Chez Amie bouncers were confident Maria and I could hold our own. Their priority was to protect the female guests, we reiterated that we are capable of protecting ourselves. Today, the air was electrically charged. My spidey-sense was working overtime. It wasn’t indicating impending danger, but to something that will cause me extreme happiness. I had a feeling my final question will be answered.

Fridays at the club are usually busy, which we could handle easily with our current staff. But tonight, we were at Club Chez Amie preparing the VIP bar for the Potts party. Potts reserved the entire VIP section for a huge gathering. They paid more than the usual booking fee to ensure their privacy. “Maria, can you feel the charge in the air?”

“Not really. But I can feel energy radiating off you. You seemed to be particularly hyper today and not just because it’s your birthday.”

“That’s exactly what I was trying to say. I can feel it. It’s giving me all this extra energy. Something good is going to happen tonight. I can feel it deep in my soul.”

She laughed. “You’ve been more energetic for the last few months. I was wondering when you’d notice.” We asked all our staff, kitchen, waiters, waitresses, and bartenders to work today. Originally, we scheduled our usual weekend staff, but a few days ago, I had a feeling we needed everyone. Maria went along with my intuition. It was easier to schedule the staff several days earlier before they made other plans. If they were required to cancel their plans, we paid them extra and gave them the following weekend off. The VIP guests began arriving promptly at 8 pm.

My neck tingled causing me to look up. I saw the most beautiful blue eyes looking back at me. “Hi Angel,” he greeted me.

“Hi... I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

“Steve Rogers.” I blushed. OMG! This isn’t a Captain America doppelgänger, it’s actually Captain America. “Yes Ma’am. I’m really Captain America. But please call me Steve.”

I reached out my hand to shake his. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Steve. Did you manage to find your friend James?”

He smiled and said, “Yes Ma’am. We found him exactly where you told us to look. How did you know he was there?”

“It’s a special gift of mine. I’ll tell you the story sometime. What can I get you to drink?”

“Do you have any Mamont? I owe Tasha a drink.”

“We do. Potts asked us to stock it for tonight’s party.” I poured out several shots of Vodka, placing them on a tray which Steve insisted on carrying to his table.

The VIP section was really busy. Between mixing and pouring many drinks, food was delivered via dumb waiter at least twenty times. This group really eats a lot. Steve came back to the bar. “My buddy Thor will be here any minute. Please, place this order to the kitchen for me?” I looked at the order... it was everything on our menu... tripled.

“Wow. Is all this food for him?”

I could see the slight smile before he said, “Yes. He loves the food here. Trust me, you don’t want him to wait for his food.”

Chuckling, I placed his order. “It should be ready in thirty minutes. Is that enough time?”

“I hope so.” I gave Steve his latest drink order and watched him walk away.

“Angel, you know he waited for you to be available before placing his order. I think he likes you.”

Blush coloured my cheeks. “I like him too. There’s something about him that pulls me to him. It feels like we are meant to be together. Every time I see him, the pull gets stronger. It feels like I’m a lump of metal and he’s a mega magnet. I can barely resist the pull.”

“Wow. I’ve never experienced that feeling before,” she said grinning.

The massive food order was sent up as thunder rocked the building. “What was that?”

Maria shrugged. “No idea. But I have a feeling he has something to do with it.” She pointed towards the entrance. A gorgeous man walked through the door. His face suddenly turned in my direction and locked his eyes on mine. As I looked into his eyes, recognition followed by a flash of lightning struck me. I collapsed behind the bar.

I could hear Maria freaking out. “Angel wake up. Angel, please open your eyes.” I could feel someone pick me up and hold me. The full body tingling sensation told me I was in Steve’s arms. I opened my eyes and looked directly into his.

“Sweetheart, are you alright?” My heart started racing. He called me sweetheart. His arms wrapped around me felt natural. Like I was finally home. Wherever my life went, I knew he would be by my side. I wanted to be by his side.

My head instantly swivelled to look at Thor. I looked into his face and knew who he was to me. “Steve, could you please let me get up? I need to speak to Thor alone.”

He helped me to my feet then introduced me to everyone. In my peripheral vision, I saw each person nod as he said their name. “Pepper, Tony, Bruce, Natasha, Bucky, Darcy, Jane, Sam, Clint, Rhodey, Pietro, Wanda and Thor. This is Angelita.”

“Hi everyone, nice to meet you.” I reached out to shake everyone’s hand, while my eyes remained locked onto Thor’s face. “I’m sorry if I sound rude, but I really need to speak to Thor. Can we go over there to talk? Alone?”

Thor grabbed my hand and led me to the back table away from his friends. “Angelita, do you know who you are?”

“Yes I do. I am your sister.”

“Do you mind if I confirm? Mother insisted I see for myself.” I removed the elastic to release my ponytail. With gentle fingers, he separated the hair behind my right ear to locate the birthmark. “How long has this birthmark been here?” He asked me.

“It appeared around six months ago when I last had a weekend off.” Seemingly pleased he said, “I was in the Club six months ago. I’ve been looking through all the realms to find you, Samara.”

In between serving drinks, Maria allowed me to sit and eat with the guests. After all, it isn’t every day when you discover you’re Thor’s sister. “I know I’m your sister, but I’d like to know how that is possible.”

“Frigga, our Mother, longed to have a daughter. Every time she became pregnant with a daughter, the medics would interfere, causing her to miscarry. One day nearly thirty-five years ago, Mother left Asgard and hid herself using her magic. Heimdall, the bi-frost keeper, was prevented from divulging her location, by an ancient spell cast on him. He said Mother was hidden from him. We search all nine realms but were unable to find her. Nearly ten months later, she returned to Asgard with a dead newborn girl in her arms. She told Father their daughter died shortly after her birth. Father was furious she birthed a daughter, but pleased the child had died. He was convinced Frigga’s magical abilities combined with his power should never exist. Such a combination would be too powerful for any of the nine realms. Mother’s powers could only be transferred to her first born daughter. Before Mother died, she told me about you Samara. She said you are alive on one of the nine realms. It was my responsibility to find you, but not until Father relinquishes the throne to me. Father gave me the throne and kingdom two years ago. He died last year. I’m sorry you never had the chance to meet Mother. She was a very caring and loving woman. Mother could see the good in everyone and accepted them with open arms. If someone proved to be unworthy, she would turn her back on them and walk way.” He told me more stories about Mother. The more I heard, the more I could see myself in her. Mother had brown curly hair and turquoise blue eyes exactly the shade of mine.

I helped Maria clean and close the bar for the night. Thor and Steve refused to leave with the rest of the group. “Angelita, please come to the Avengers tower with me tonight,” Steve asked. “We would like to get to know you better.”

“I’m sorry Steve. I think I should stay in my apartment tonight. Tomorrow is my day off, could I stop by after breakfast?” He looked at Thor before agreeing. They walked me and Maria home before retiring for the night.

My dreams were strange that night. I could hear Mother’s voice. “Samara, please forgive me. I must do this to protect your life. Remember, I will always love you. He promised to watch over you and protect you. When you find your brother, all will be fully restored. You’ll instinctively know when it’s time to leave and search for your brother, my son. Your brother will confirm your identify using your birthmark, which will only appear once your brother is near. He will protect you and love you unconditionally. Until then, I can’t risk anyone discovering who you really are. The spell I placed upon you will protect you even if I die.” Her voice was comforting, so I stayed quiet. It was important to not cry. I looked into her face and felt the love in her words and eyes. She’s beautiful with her brown curly hair and blue eyes. I felt her kiss my forehead as she laid me beside the sick girl. I could feel the life slip out of the girl’s body and realized what Mother was doing. To further protect me, she was taking the sick, dying girl and leaving me behind. I didn’t cry because Mother needed me to be strong. The dying girl told me she couldn’t be strong enough to be raised by her mother. She would rather die than be raised by such a horrible woman who wished her dead. I knew life was going to be difficult for me, but I needed to be patient and brave. One day, my brother will find me. Until that day, her Dad will watch out for me. My hands reflectively opened and closed. I could feel the daggers and sword Mother left me, but I wouldn’t be able to call them until my brother found me.

“Angel... wake up. Angel... you’re scaring me. Where did this sword and knives come from?”

The question startled me awake and I pulled my hands from under my pillow. “What sword and knives?”

“The ones tucked under your pillow.”

I sat up quickly to check under my pillow. “I think I called them to me.” Luckily I didn’t harm Maria when she woke me from my dreams. I patted the bed beside me and Maria climbed in.

“Tell me about your dream. I assume that’s why you invited me into bed.”

“You would be correct.” I told her everything I could remember.

“So, when you opened and closed your hands, the weapons appeared?” she asked.

“Yes. That’s what I said. Let me show you.” We left the weapons under my pillow and went into the kitchen. I opened then closed my hands and thought about my weapons.

My sword appeared in my right hand and the daggers in my left. “Angel, that is so cool and yet so scary too. Would you like to hear my story?”

“Only if you’re ready to tell me,” I said, giving her the option to change her mind.

“I am. Having you live with me has taught me to trust again. Hector told me you’d be good for me. Please don’t think differently of me.”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her back to my chest, spooning her in a non-sexual way. “Okay Mar, I’m ready to listen.”

“Do you know how old I am?” she asked.

“Yes. You’re twenty-eight. Hector told me you’re six years younger than him.”

She took a few deep breaths before starting. “Okay. So fifteen years ago, my brother Hector joined a gang. He thought his new friends were so cool, stealing cars, doing drugs, breaking into houses and scaring the neighbourhood kids. His best friend Enrique joined the gang with him. Enrique and Hector would walk me home from junior high to ensure I safely arrived home. I was afraid of his new friends, but I trusted Enrique. For five years, both Enrique and Hector walked me home. I was working at the mall the summer before I would start at Douglass College. Mama was so proud of me, I had a full scholarship. However, I still needed money for books and food. All the money I made, I gave to Mama for rent. I cried when I told Hector I couldn’t afford to go to school, all the campus jobs were already taken. He robbed a few convenience stores to get me the money. I ignored how he got the money, because I really wanted to go to college. One day, he robbed the neighbourhood 7-Eleven. The cashier recognized him even though he wore a bandana. He was arrested that night. Mama and I couldn’t afford to post bail, so he stayed in jail for two weeks. The night before his court case, Enrique walked me home from work. He was acting kind of strange, but I ignored it. I thought, ‘Enrique is my brother’s best friend. I can trust him, he wouldn’t hurt me.’ We were a block from the house when Enrique suddenly dragged me into an alley. He punched me, tore off my pants and raped me. I grabbed his knife to protect myself, but he overpowered me and stabbed me. I thought I was dead for sure. My screams were so loud, Mama could hear me. She heard me beg Enrique to stop. Mama grabbed Hector’s gun from the lock box under his bed. She grabbed a few neighbours to help her. When she saw me bloody and bruised, she used Hector’s phone to call 911. She aimed the gun at Enrique, but missed. He ran away. The next day, Hector was given community service, since it was his first offence. When he got home, he saw me bruised and battered. Mama told him I was stabbed, had a concussion, and had two broken legs. He asked who hurt me and she whispered Enrique. Hector used his phone to call his gang buddies. He discovered Enrique also raped some of their sisters. They went out late at night and found him hiding in an empty warehouse. Each man beat Enrique within an inch of his life. They walked away, leaving him for dead. Not Hector though. He couldn’t forgive Enrique for what he did to me. Hector used his sharp knives and cut every inch of skin off Enrique’s body and left him to the dogs. Hector and the other gang members were arrested for murder. Once all his victims came forward, believe me there was a lot of women, the sympathetic judge, whose daughter was raped and murdered years earlier, decided to be lenient. He gave each gang member involved, one hundred hours of community service. As soon as court was dismissed, Hector went to a tattoo parlour for his teardrop tattoo. He wanted all the other gang members to know he killed Enrique.”

I could feel her crying in my arms. “He can’t hurt you anymore Mar. He’s gone. You’re safe here.” I leaned over to kiss her cheek. I gave her as much time as she needed to calm down. She didn’t try to escape my arms, but she rolled over and buried her face in my neck. I rubbed my hands up and down her back to comfort her.

She hiccuped a few times before she stopped crying. I knew there was more to the story, so I patiently waited for her to finish. “A few months later, the doctor told me I was stabbed in my right ovary. It’s badly scarred. I was too afraid to go to Douglass College, so Hector moved me here. He’s a computer genius, so he regularly hacked into rival gang member’s accounts to skim money. I never asked him where he got the money, but he insisted that I knew where it came from. He hacked into the government sites to procure ID for me. We decided to keep my first name, but my middle and last names were changed. Maria is a common Latino name, so changing it would’ve been more suspicious. Because my face was badly damaged, Hector paid for plastic surgery to change my nose, chin and cheekbones. My nose and cheekbones needed repairs to fix the crushed bones. He paid a private in home nurse, a Cuban lady, to care for me. She passed away a few years ago. This used to be her bedroom.”

“Maria, I’m so sorry. I can tell she meant a lot to you.” We held each other until my alarm sounded. “I hate to leave you in this state, but I promised to go to the Avengers tower to train today. Do you want to come with me?”

“I don’t want to impose, but I also don’t want to be alone right now.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie found her family. She comes to terms with where she’s from and discovers more about herself.

CHAPTER 8

Maria ate breakfast while I showered. Once I arrived in the kitchen, she left to take her shower. We went to the main floor lobby and prepared to call a cab. I was saved from calling a cab when I saw Steve astride his motorcycle. “Angel, do you need a lift?”

“Yes, I could use a lift. Is it okay if Maria comes with us? She’s a little fragile right now and I really don’t want to leave her home alone.”

“Give me a minute to call Sam.” I was a bit worried about a man giving her a ride, given the story she told me. “We’ll wait for him to arrive.”

While we waited, I circled his bike. “Awesome Harley. Can I drive?”

He seemed surprised, but happy. “You can ride?”

I smiled brightly and said, “I got my license when I turned eighteen and kept it current.” He handed me a helmet, shifted back on the seat and patted the seat in front of him.

Sam and Darcy arrived to give Maria a ride. Darcy hopped out of the car. “Hi. I’m Darcy. Cap said you needed a ride?” Maria looked at me before nodding. She looked nervously at Sam. Darcy quickly added, “Don’t worry about him. He’s harmless. We’re going to sit in the back together. Are you okay with that?”

Maria timidly answered, “Yes. Thank you.” I waited for Maria to click her seatbelt before leaning into her door.

I gave her a hug and whispered, “It’s alright. Sam’s a therapist and Darcy is really nice. You can trust them.” I kissed her cheek, closed the door, tapped the car and watched them drive towards the Avengers tower. I sat in front of Steve and put on my helmet. His hands settled on my hips as he directed me to the tower.

Thor was waiting for us in the garage. He threw his head back and laughed. “Cap. I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be a passenger on your own bike.” He turned to me and asked, “How did you talk Cap into letting you drive?”

I removed my helmet and slid off the bike. “Hi to you too, big brother. I asked to drive.” I walked over to Thor and threw my arms around him. He picked me up and swung me around. Thor wrapped his arm across my shoulder and led me into the tower.

Security attempted to stop us until Thor spoke, “Samara is my sister. I demand you let us pass.” They quickly scampered to allow us passage.

“I wonder if Sam and Darcy had problems bringing Maria in. Thor, you didn’t have to be so mean. They were just doing their job.” He led me into the common room where the rest of the Avengers were assembled. “Hi everyone. Nice to see you all again. So I have some questions. Maybe you guys can answer them for me?” I looked around and saw Maria was tucked into Darcy’s side. Their arms were wrapped around each other. I smiled at the women as I waited for someone to answer.

Everyone looked to Steve to answer. “We can try.”

“Why do I feel electrically charged all the time?” I asked the room.

Thor answered, “That’s the power of lightning you’re feeling. I can train you to harness that power to use to your advantage.”

“Thanks, you just answered my next question. I’m already trained in Krav Maga, but I need to practice with stronger opponents. Would you Thor, Bucky and Steve be able to assist?”

Steve, Bucky and Thor simultaneously answered, “It will be my pleasure.”

“Thank you. One more question, who is willing to train me to use these?” I held out my hand calling for my sword and daggers which suddenly appeared in my hands.

Maria looked at me in awe. Thor spoke again, “Mother left you her sword and daggers. How did you know to call them?”

“I dreamed about Mother last night. About the day... you know, the day she left me with that family,” I said as shivers passed through my body. Tears were running down my face as I mourned the death of the sickly girl I replaced. “I just knew she left these for me to use. I used my instincts to call them.”

Steve wrapped me in his arms. “Why are you crying sweetheart?”

“I saw the sick girl I replaced. She told me to be patient and brave until my brother found me. If it wasn’t for my Mother, Frigga, she would have died without ever being hugged. The poor girl. She told me her mother wished she was dead. That horrible woman who raised me. She never told me she wished I died, but she certainly blamed me for not being the boy she desperately wanted. I knew she resented me because she wasn’t able to have any more children. She had an emergency hysterectomy after her daughter was born. Growing up in that household was barely tolerable. If it wasn’t for my Dad and Grandma, I don’t think I would have survived.” I snuffled a few times. Straightening my shoulders, I took a deep breath and said, “Sorry, it was a really sad dream. Tony, do I have to live here while I train?”

He distractedly answered, “We already have a floor of rooms set up for you.”

I saw the fear in Maria’s eyes. “Thank you, but I still want to live with Maria and work at the club. Would someone be available to pick me up and drop me off? I don’t own a car.”

Steve readily volunteered. No surprise there, I was hoping he would volunteer. “I appreciate your help Steve.” To the rest of the Avengers I said, “My schedule is fairly flexible except for Thursday and Friday afternoons. We receive our alcohol and food deliveries on Thursday, and the accounting is done every Friday afternoon. So I’m available Sunday through Wednesday from 6 am to 7 pm, Thursday and Friday from 6 am to noon and Saturday from 6 am to 6 pm.”

“JARVIS repeat,” Tony demanded. We waited for JARVIS to repeat my availability. Steve told the others to figure out training in all aspects of self-defence, hand-to-hand combat, kick boxing, knife throwing, sword fighting and weapons training. “Talk amongst yourselves to set a schedule for both Angelita and Maria. Natasha, please schedule for me as well.”

Natasha slid closer to me to say, “This is going to be so much fun.”

Pepper ran over to me and handed me a lanyard granting me access to the tower. “You need to wear this every time you come here. It will grant you access to the gym, the common room, the cafeteria, shooting range and any floor you are granted permission.” I noticed her glance at Steve and smile. Huh. He already gave me access to his floor.

She slowly approached Maria and handed her a similar lanyard. “The same access applies to you. Darcy has already granted you and Angelita access to her floor and suites.” Maria looked surprised to be granted access. I was so happy for her. We caught each other’s eyes and smiled.

Tony entered the room, “Angel and Maria, come here.” I held Maria’s hand as we approached Tony. “These phones are programmed with your current phone number. All your contacts, texts and voice mail has been transferred to the new phone. They are the newest Stark Industries version and are secure. JARVIS, set up Angelita and Maria’s emergency code.” Our phones beeped giving us the emergency code ‘Papaya’. Both of us were given the same code. Thankfully it was a fruit neither of us bought or ate. He continued, “When you say your code word, JARVIS will notify us immediately and trigger the GPS. Okay then. Give these women a tour,” he said as he snapped his fingers.

Darcy reached for Maria to show her around. Steve grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together. “Let me give you the grand tour.” He led me to the impressive gym. We went down a few levels to the shooting range. I already saw the common room, so we skipped it to see the cafeteria. We rode the elevator to the fourth floor. When the door opened, we walked into a living room. There was a bedroom on the right and a bathroom and three smaller bedrooms on the left. He pointed to the right. “That’s my room. The other two are guest rooms. I already granted you access to this suite and a bedroom on the left. In order to enterthe other bedrooms, you need to have access. JARVIS give Angelita Cortez full access to my suite.”

“Full access granted.”

“JARVIS enable privacy mode,” Steve said as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

“Why did you enable privacy mode?” I breathily asked.

“So I could do this without fear of someone barging in.” He put his right hand behind my head and pulled me into a kiss. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I felt your back pressed against me on the bike.” He kissed me again. I could feel the electricity pass through us. My mouth opened to allow him access. He swept his tongue into my mouth and deepened the kiss.

My hands slid under his shirts to feel his bare abdomen. He quickly ended the kiss. “Sweetheart. I want to do this right and date you. Would you join me for lunch tomorrow?”

“Yes. I would love to.” The door opened suddenly.

Natasha and Bucky strolled in. “Tasha, I had the room on privacy mode.”

“I know Cap... I overrode it,” she said.

We returned to the common room. Maria was waiting for me. She asked, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes. Steve, can we start my training on Monday?” I asked.

“Of course. I’ll pick up you and Maria at 6 am. Before you leave, JARVIS, send Angelita my phone number.”

“JARVIS, send Steve my phone number.” Maria and I also received phone numbers for the remaining Avengers and Pepper. There were more phone numbers stored on my cell phone than I ever had before. For a brief moment, I thought about the old phone numbers I used to have. His number was number one on my speed dial, his number two was also my number two. Hector was number three. When I left Trenton, Hector became the number one speed dial. It took me a long time to forget Ranger’s cell number. I found myself wanting to dial it often. Maria and work kept me busy enough that it became easier to resist calling him.

Shaking away my memories, I thanked everyone for sharing their numbers with me. Darcy pipes up, “We’re family now.” I looked at my brother Thor at the mention of family, tears pooling in my eyes.

Never have I felt so much love and respect from a family member before. This is my destiny. This is where I belong. I have finally come home. I know who I am and I finally found myself. I will never be alone again. “Maria, we have a family now,” I whispered as I wrapped my arms around her waist. She nodded and wrapped her arms around me as she smiled shyly at Sam.

The next day, lunch in the cafeteria was loud. There was so much food and laughter. I ate my chicken Alfredo as I listened to stories about the Avengers. Steve told me about his transformation to become Captain America. I was surprised he volunteered. He tried numerous times, in numerous cities to join the Army. His asthma and small stature prevented him from being enlisted. Dr Abraham Erskine, creator of the Super Soldier Serum, saw something in Steve and gave him a chance to prove his worth. Something about a weak man knowing the value of strength and power.

Steve was formally enlisted, but had to compete with other soldiers to be selected. One soldier, Gilmore Hodge, was a bully and the top contender for the Super Soldier Serum. Steve Rogers was constantly bullied by Hodge. Steve does not like bullies. Didn’t matter where they come from or the colour of their skin, he wanted to stop them. During their morning exercise routine, Colonel Chester Phillips threw a training grenade among the men.

Most men ran for cover, but Steve jumped onto the grenade to protect his fellow soldiers. Of course this was a test that Steve passed, all others failed. The men were required to run five miles per day in full gear. At the half way mark stood a flag pole. The men were given the opportunity to retrieve the flag. Whomever retrieved the flag would be permitted to ride in the Jeep with Agent Peggy Carter. Most men attempted to climb the flag pole and were unsuccessful. After all, it had been seventeen years since someone retrieved the flag. Steve looked at the flag and examined the pole. He saw a pin at the base holding the pole to the base. Carefully, he slightly lifted the pole to release the pin. Once the pin was released, the pole fell to the ground and he retrieved the flag. I laughed so hard as I pictured this scrawny version of Steve outsmarting the brawny soldiers in training.

Bucky shouted, “You always were a little punk.”

Steve laughed as he said, “Whatever you jerk.” I was shocked at first, until Darcy told me that Bucky always called Steve a punk and Steve always called him a jerk. It was their affectionate pet names for each other. I laughed harder when Tony started calling Steve Capsicle.

At first I didn’t understand, but Tony enlightened me by saying, “He was frozen for almost seventy years. Making him a Captain America popsicle... Capsicle for short.”

I laughed but stopped quickly. “Sorry Steve, but it is kind of funny.”

“Just wait until he gives you a ridiculous nickname.” I rolled my eyes thinking, ‘as if it could possibly be worse than my old nicknames of Bomber and Bombshell’.

Maria looked at me, fear clearly shown on her face. “Bomber, Bombshell?” Maria repeated.

Steve asked, “How did you manage to get those nicknames?”

SHIT, I said that out loud. Hopefully they don’t decide to research the names to discover who I was before becoming Angelita Cortez. Eventually, I’ll need to tell them, but I wasn’t ready for that discussion today. “Ummm... I was really hoping to avoid this conversation. Is there somewhere more private where we can talk. I’ll trust my new Avenger family, yes Darcy, Jane and Pepper, this includes you three. I need to tell them my story Maria.”

I leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Don’t worry Mar, unless you tell them yourself, your story is safe.” She nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie tells her new family more about herself. She worries Ranger will find her when she sees one of his employees. Stephanie is reunited with an important man in her life.

CHAPTER 9

We moved to the Common room only accessible to the Avengers, Darcy, Jane and Pepper. “Before I tell you my story, I need to stress the importance of keeping my secrets until I’m ready to be found. First of all, my name while growing up was Stephanie Michelle Plum. I was raised by Frank and Helen Plum, with a sister Valerie and my Grandma Edna Mazur. Around four and a half years ago, I lost my full time job working for E E Martin as a lingerie buyer.”

I noticed all the men smiled and shifted slightly in their seats. A common reaction to hearing about my old job. “The FBI closed the company. It was discovered they were laundering money for the mob. I had a cheap apartment with enough money saved to pay rent and my bills for around six months. When I was running low on funds and had no food, I went to my parents’ house for dinner. My dad told me his cousin Vinnie’s Bail Bonds office was looking for a filing clerk. The job only paid minimum wage. It was below my experience, but I really needed a job, my rent was almost due. Dad gave me the address so I could apply for the job the following day. I dressed in my best skirt, shirt and shoes, got into my POS (piece of shit) car and drove to the office. A girl I recognized from high school was at the reception desk. I asked about the filing job, but was quickly informed the position had already been filled. Connie noticed my devastation and suggested I try my hand at being a BEA, bond enforcement agent, also known as a bounty hunter. She handed me a file for a police officer charged with murder. I read the folder to see it was a person who I really didn’t want to see again. However, I felt it would be amazing if I could capture this predator, aka Joseph Morelli, and collect the $10,000 fee. I had an ace up my sleeve. He owed me for what he did to me all those years ago. I will bring that scumbag back to jail where he belongs.

“In order to keep me safe, Connie contacted another BEA, who owed her a favour, asking him to ‘train’ me. I called Ranger and arranged to meet him at a diner. Within a few minutes, he was calling me ‘Babe’. He was hot, muscular and very attractive. Ranger took me to Sunny’s to buy a gun, ammunition, stun gun, pepper spray and handcuffs. I completely cleared out my bank account with these purchases, but I didn’t say anything to him. A few times, he assisted me on my search. During a walk through of Joe’s apartment, I found a set of keys. Ranger left me at the apartment when we didn’t find any clues to Joe’s location. When he drove away, I ‘borrowed’ Joe’s Jeep. He wasn’t driving it. I figured he’d come after it and I’d capture him. So I played the waiting game. I parked the Jeep at my apartment, removed the distributor cap and hid in the bushes. After many hours, it started to rain. I tucked the distributor cap in the bushes and went into my apartment. Since I was cold, I hopped into the shower to warm up. While I was in the shower, Joe broke into my apartment to search for his distributor cap. He completely trashed my apartment after handcuffing me, naked, to the shower curtain bar. Luckily, he left my phone close enough so I could make a phone call.

“Unfortunately, the only phone number, other than 911 and my parents, I knew was Ranger’s. He broke into my apartment to remove the handcuffs. Of course, being naked, he took his time to examine my body first. He wrapped me in a towel before removing the cuffs. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t ask him for further assistance. I read the official police report for my FTA (failure to appear) and launched my own investigation to locate him. However, the more I investigated, the more questions I had about his guilt... to the point where I suspected he was framed. My instincts told me to believe his description of the events leading to his arrest. The more questions I asked people, the more I was led to believe he was innocent. Not to mention saving me from being attracted by Ramirez, he couldn’t be that bad after all. I’m a complete sucker for the Hero type. The few interactions we had during my investigation, he would call me ‘Cupcake,’ a nickname I really hated. After a few more days, not only did I capture him, but I also proved his innocence. The refrigerated truck I trapped him in, had a barrel containing his missing, but dead, confidential informant and the misfired weapon. The gun was tested and confirmed his written account of the events.” I took a few breaths before I was able to continue. Maria heard these stories before, so she wasn’t surprised. I heard the gasps, but otherwise didn’t pay too much attention. There was much more to my story.

“In the process of clearing his name, I encountered a scary boxer, who raped, beat and mutilated women. He left a hooker, who helped me collect intel, beaten and bloody tied on the fire escape outside my bedroom window. Eventually, the boxer, Benito Ramirez, was caught, arrested and sent to jail. His manager, Jimmy was furious. Jimmy Alpha broke into my apartment and threatened to kill me. I quickly grabbed my pocketbook as he shot me. Reaching into my bag, I grabbed my gun and emptied my weapon into his chest. All five shots were within one centimetre of each other... in his heart. He was the first person I killed. I don’t like guns.” Finally, I lifted my head to look at everyone.

Bucky, Clint and Natasha were nodding their heads in approval. “Sweetheart, where did he shoot you?” Steve quietly asked.

“In my left butt cheek. I couldn’t sit properly for weeks.” Before anyone else had the chance to talk, I continued my story. “I’m going to tell you how I got my nickname of Cupcake after I tell you the story of my other nicknames. So please be patient with me.” I waited for everyone to agree before continuing, “After a few weeks, I was able to return to my BEA job. There were several FTA’s who thought blowing up my car was fun. In two months, three cars were firebombed, one of them was Joe’s Jeep. I used all the money I received from my first case replacing cars. When I worked as a BEA for six months, I had my car and apartment firebombed on the same day. Joe was so kind to me after my first car exploded. I decided to give him a chance. Anyways, when my apartment was firebombed, I needed a place to stay. Joe had an extra bedroom in the house he inherited from his Aunt Rose. Rex, my hamster, and I stayed with him for a few weeks while my apartment was repaired. When I started dating Joe, Ranger would find ways to be near me. He would pull me into the alley beside the bonds office and kiss me. Boy, he was such a good kisser... better than Joe. I was always attracted to him and he would take advantage as much as possible. Even though I allowed him to kiss me, I never permitted it to go further. I know what it’s like to have someone you love cheat on you, so I would never cross that line. Ranger often pushed those boundaries. He would loan me cars when I couldn’t afford to replace mine. Mind you, those were destroyed too. The best was when I was trying to find my uncle and Ranger’s Porsche Boxter was flattened by a dump truck. Someone at the garbage company put a bomb in the car. The dump truck hit the side and got stuck to the Porsche. My friend and I escaped the car and ran away. The bomb must have been on a timer, it exploded the car and caught the dump truck, with a full gas tank, on fire. When the dump truck exploded, it jumped into the air, landed on the Porsche and flattened it. I destroyed over fifty cars in the three years I worked as a BEA. After the tenth car and second apartment explosion, a reporter coined me as the ‘Bombshell Bounty Hunter.’ Not because he thought I was attractive, but because my cars kept exploding. Ranger’s employees often called me ‘Bomber’ or ‘Bombshell’. They often bet on the number of days and method of the next borrowed car’s demise. It was embarrassing, especially when the local police department made similar bets. These men I thought were my friends used me as their entertainment. Ranger never discouraged them. He even said I was ‘entertainment’ and a ‘line in their budget’.

“Joe and I often broke up. There was a few times when I thought Ranger and I would get together, but that never happened. He would make me think we were together, then push me back to Joe. One time, Ranger and I made an arrangement. He’d help me with a difficult skip if I spent one night with him. I was attracted to him and wanted to spend at least a night with him. Let just say that so called deal opened a whole new world of pain for me. The last time I dated Joe, he beat me for working with Ranger. I broke up with Joe permanently, hoping Ranger will step in like he always said he would. When my last car exploded, I was covered in garbage from my last FTA. Joe completely freaked out and berated me publicly. Ranger took me to his apartment so I could clean up. He was worried Joe would attack me at home. I spent the night in Ranger’s apartment. Eventually, I was tired of all the crap from these two men. If Ranger wanted me, I would have already been with him. Joe just wanted to control me. He broke my arm the last time I didn’t comply with his wishes. My mom constantly berated me and wanted me to get back together with Joe. I was used and abused for the last time. My grandma gave me a bank book and a safety deposit box key. Before my grandpa died, he gave those items to my grandma for safe keeping, making her promise to give them to me when it was time. My friend Hector noticed I needed to get away from all these toxic people in my life. He helped me escape undetected, and sent me to Maria. It was the best decision of my life. If I didn’t move here, I wouldn’t have found my brother.” I thought, I wouldn’t have found Steve either.

The Avengers were surprised I survived so much in three years. Most people would have broken down and given up. “Sweetheart, you are brave, strong and resilient. Not many women would be able to endure all you have and still be the caring, loving woman you are today.”

I kissed his cheek. “Thank you Steve. I needed to hear that.”

Thor asked the obvious, “How did you survive such explosions?”

It didn’t take long to answer, “I just knew. My spidey-sense warned me to get away. I learned long ago to listen.”

Darcy asked, “How did you get the nickname of ‘Cupcake’?”

I really didn’t want to talk about this without first telling Steve. Luckily, Maria jumped in, “Darcy, I’m sure she’ll tell you the story some day, but she should really tell Steve first. In private. Along with her arrangement with Ranger.” I was thankful she said something to prevent more questions. Steve grabbed my hand.

“Maria and I need to get to work now. Thank you for everything guys. We’ll see you in the morning.” Steve grabbed the keys to his car to drive me and Maria back home.

After the events of the day, work was extremely dull. Maria helped me braid my hair into French braids. It was easier to manage while working. “Thank you for your help Mar. I appreciate it.”

She hugged me. “No problem. You would have done the same for me.” She hesitated before adding, “Don’t get mad at me, but I think you should talk to Sam. If you’re going to be training with more weapons, you’ll need help to get over your anger. I love you and only want the best for you.”

I quickly hugged her. “You’re right. I do need to talk to someone before I get too involved with Steve.”

Looking around the bar that night, I noticed someone vaguely familiar. A few men came up to the bar and ordered drinks. Maria was waiting on the familiar looking man. He looked like the guy named ‘Binkie’ from Rangeman. Thankfully, I never met or worked with him. I only saw his photo in the file when he applied to Rangeman. When he returned to his friends, Maria asked, “Do you know him from somewhere?”

“He kind of looks like a guy at Rangeman. His application crossed my desk for an in depth search. He was hired after I had already left Rangeman and I never met him before.”

I could see Maria sigh in relief. “He seems to like me, maybe I can get more information for you. To make sure none of his friends work at Rangeman too. I hope your past doesn’t find you before you’re ready.”

“I’ve got a plan Mar. I have coloured contact lenses just in case I need them. I’ll be right back.” I raced to the bathroom with my purse. The container with brown contacts was still there. I inserted the contacts and returned to the bar, just as Binkie returned with another order.

He looked at Maria’s name tag and said, “Hi Maria. I need another Stella and four shots of Patron.”

“No problem. I’m sorry, but I’ve already forgotten your name,” she craftily asked.

“It’s John, but everyone at work calls me Binkie.”

“That’s an odd nickname.”

He blushed. “I know. In the Army, they give you a nickname within the first month of training. It just kind of stuck.”

She laughed, “I guess there’s worse ones out there huh? Are your coworkers with you tonight?”

“No. I’m with my old Army team. None of them work with me. They are currently between tours and we decided to get together. We were planning to go to the main level, but my buddy’s dad recommended coming here to the VIP lounge.”

Maria passed Binkie the drinks and waved off the payment. “These are on the house. Thank you for your service.”

“Thank you Maria. That was very kind of you.” He looked in my direction. “Thank you too ma’am.”

I instinctively said, “Angelita. My name is Angelita.” He nodded then returned to his friends. They grabbed their drinks and raised them in our direction, silently thanking us. We smiled and waved. I was feeling relieved I wasn’t recognized. I prayed he didn’t mention Club Chez Amie to his Rangeman coworkers. Thankfully, the men left an hour later. I quickly removed the contacts before they started to irritate my eyes. The remaining VIP guests kept us busy until closing time.

As we cleaned our stations, two people entered the VIP lounge. Without looking up from the far table, I said, “We’re closing in a few minutes.”

“Pumpkin, is that you?” I heard my dad ask.

“Daddy!” I shouted as I threw myself into his arms. “Why are you here?”

He pointed over his shoulder, “This guy brought me here.”

I noticed Hector talking to Maria, “I missed you so much Daddy. There’s so much for me to tell you.” We sat at the table as I told him all about my true identity and my new found family.

His eyes filled with tears as he said, “You don’t need me anymore.”

Reaching out to grab his hand, I said, “A girl always needs her Daddy. Hector told me you got a job at Stark Industries. In which office are you stationed?”

He grabbed his phone to read the email. “Avengers tower.”

I moved around the table to sit next to him. “Daddy, Maria and I start our training there tomorrow. I’m also thinking about changing my name legally to my proper birth name, Samara Odindottir. I hope you don’t mind.”

He smiled as he pulled me into his arms. “It’s your birthright. To me, you will always be Pumpkin.”

Maria, Hector, Daddy and I left the club. We brought Hector and Dad back to our apartment to spend the night. I gave Dad my room, Hector slept on the sofa bed and I shared Maria’s bed with her. It wouldn’t be the first time we shared one of our beds.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joseph Morelli crawls further into his rabbit hole after making a huge mistake. Stephanie (Angel) confesses to Steve, sharing details of her past.

CHAPTER 10

Ranger was sitting in his Rangeman office becoming more frustrated daily. “It’s been a year since Stephanie left. I can’t find any traces of her anywhere. The last lead we had in Europe was a dead end. It’s like she vanished from Earth. I called her phone and it goes straight to voice mail. She hasn’t returned a single call.” Tank wasn’t sure how to reply. Hector was outside Ranger’s office, listening to their conversation. He’s been checking my voice messages and texts since I left. If there was anything important to tell me, he’d pass along the message. Otherwise, he would delete them. After working with Ranger for ten years, the boss still hasn’t figured out he speaks English fluently.

Tank sighed and replied, “Boss. I hate to say this, but not returning your calls or texts is her answer. She has nothing to say to you. Stephanie wasn’t in a good place when she left here.”

Ranger put his head in his hands. “I tried everything. I can’t believe I messed up this bad. She’s the love of my life. I left a message saying I love her, without qualifiers, that I’m ready for our some day. I’m so lost without her.”

“Ranger, she’s not ready to be found. When she’s done hiding, you’ll be able find her and tell her how you feel. If it is too late, you need to let her go.”

He slammed his hands on the desk. “It’s already too late. I’ve lost her forever. I can feel it. She’s already moved on.”

Hector walked away from Ranger’s office. He walked into his office and smiled. Manuel asked, “What made you so happy today?”

He closed the office door before saying, “Ranger still hasn’t found Chica and Tank told him to stop looking. She needs time to heal. Ranger and that idiot Joe broke her. Stephanie needs time to fix all they broke. If she finds someone more suited to her, then she has my blessing. I want her to be happy. I have a feeling she has already found it.”

Joseph Morelli was suspended from the TPD. His latest conquest, a beautiful brown hair, blue eyed girl formally charged him with assault. He didn’t realize who she was when he met her. If he had known, he would have stayed far away from her. Julianna Campbell is Governor Michael Campbell’s daughter. Police Chief Joe Juniak was not impressed with Morelli. Joe has become a liability ever since I left Trenton. There were rumours around Trenton that Joe has been meeting women in bars, raping and beating them. It’s difficult to pin him to anything when the women aren’t coming forward to press charges. The tracker placed on his car mysteriously disappeared, which means he located it. He often heard concerns about the TPD ‘protecting their own’, discouraging women from pressing charges. There was a woman found dead in her house, but they weren’t able to link him to the case. The local police department discovered insufficient evidence to ferret out a suspect. Based on the lack of evidence, they were confident the suspect has first hand knowledge how to clean a crime scene. They profiled the suspect works as a homicide detective, a CIA agent or FBI agent. Chief Juniak has a file in a locked drawer investigating Morelli. He contacted other police departments warning them when he noticed similarities between the dead woman, the Governor’s daughter and me, Stephanie Plum. Juniak often laughed whenever I referred to my intuition as my spidey-sense, but I suspect he also has this intuition. He knows without a doubt Joseph Morelli is responsible for Kiera Duncan’s death. His job was to prove it. Juniak and Eddie Gazarra scoured through Morelli’s house when he was undercover last month. They found no evidence from that night, not even the missing wash cloth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maria and I woke up early, excited to start our training with the Avengers. We noticed Hector already left. He left a note taped to Maria’s door to tell us he left to spend his vacation time with his boyfriend. Daddy was starting his new job today. “I’ll see you later Pumpkin. Maria, thank you for taking care of my daughter. I hope in time, you’ll think of me as your father figure too.” He kissed our cheeks before leaving to pick up his car.

I never saw Maria looking so stunned before. “What’s wrong Mar?” I asked.

“Frank is such a nice man. I would be lucky to have a father like him,” she said.

“Give him a chance. He was an awesome father to me.” She hugged me before grabbing a change of clothes.

Steve picked us up at 5:30 am. We briefly discussed training while I wondered who will train me to wield my sword and throw my daggers. JARVIS sent a training schedule for me and Maria. Both of us would be training with Natasha to start. Natasha wanted us to spar to check our techniques. After stretching and a warm up, Maria and I showed the team our skills with Krav Maga. I could see they were impressed. Steve was assessing us and said, “Angel and Maria need to spar with larger partners. They are very comfortable with each other and are equally matched. It is important to learn how to defend themselves from a larger opponent.” Steve politely asked Maria to step aside to spar with me. After an hour, I was still unable to escape from his grasp.

Maria sparred with Natasha and discovered she was unable to escape from her grasp. Natasha said to her, “It appears you and Angel were becoming too comfortable with each other. Neither of you can escape our hold. Both of you are relaxing your stance once the other starts exerting strength to break the hold. There’s a lot of work we need to do. Maria, when you’re comfortable, you will need to spar with Sam or Steve. Angel, you will be sparring with Thor or Bucky. I have a feeling you’ll be able to handle them better than Maria.” Natasha used her tablet to modify our training schedules. I used my phone to check my revised schedule. Today was dedicated to self-defence training. Running and weight training starts tomorrow. We spent the remainder of the morning working through various hand-to-hand combat techniques.

During lunch, I noticed Wanda was maintaining distance from the team. I asked Darcy, “Why isn’t Wanda sitting with us?”

She sighed, “Wanda is new to the team. She’s been finding it difficult to fit in.”

I was very familiar with that feeling. “Steve, Darcy, Maria, please excuse me. I would like to speak to Wanda.” I moved closer to Wanda’s table and sat at the opposite end. “Hi Wanda. I saw you practicing in the gym. Your powers are amazing. Did it take you long to control them?” I was honestly curious. I noticed odd things I could do without trying. The fear of accidentally hurting Maria prevalent in my mind.

Wanda studied me for a minute. “Do I have permission to show you what else I can do?”

I wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted. “Hint? Please?”

She smiled shyly. “I can talk to you, in your head, and I can enter your mind to hear your response. But, you need to give me permission first. I promised to never enter someone’s mind without their permission.”

“Sure. Go for it,” I quickly agreed.

In my mind I could hear, “Thank you for granting me access. Don’t worry, I will only access your thoughts if you give me permission.”

I nodded in approval. She could hear my response, “Thank you for asking first.”

“Holy crap! I wasn’t in your mind reading your response. We really need to practice this ability of yours,” she happily stated.

“Sure. I’m willing to help you and learn,” I said out loud so everyone in the room heard me grant Wanda permission.

“Thank you Angel. I won’t abuse your trust.” Wanda jumped up from her chair to give me a hug.

Steve had a huge smile on his face as he walked across the room. “Whatever you said to Wanda, thank you. She’s having difficulty fitting in. This is the first time I’ve seen her smile.”

We spent more time this afternoon in the gym. Steve and Natasha wanted to see exactly what training Maria and I required. It was exhausting work, but extremely fun.

Steve led me back to his room and asked, “Angel, will you please go to dinner with me tonight?”

“I would be honoured to go to dinner with you.” Suddenly, I was panicking. “Steve, what am I going to wear? I only brought a spare T-shirt and yoga pants to wear after my shower.”

He led me to his guest room. To my surprise, Pepper purchased brand name clothing for me and Maria. My clothes were stored in Steve’s guest room, while Maria’s were stored in Darcy’s guest room. I have never seen so many clothes or shoes in my life. “Steve, how did Pepper know my size?”

He laughed dryly. “JARVIS did a complete scan when you had your physical examination with Dr Colton. It was part of the wellness exam. Your measurements are on file.”

I was a bit surprised. It almost felt like an invasion of my privacy. “Okay... that is just weird. These clothes and shoes are gorgeous and expensive. I have money to pay for my own.”

Steve shook his head. “Trust me, you should let Pepper have her fun. Tony and Pepper would be offended if you tried to pay them back.” I shrugged, understanding that type of mentality, then went into the ensuite to shower. Steve left the room, giving me privacy.

All my favourite shower products were in the bathroom, along with expensive styling products. I pulled on the robe to ask Steve if I should dress casual or dress up. “Steve, should I dress casual?”

He entered the living room and saw me in my robe. For a minute, he was speechless. Once he found his tongue he said, “Casual. Wear jeans. We’ll be taking motorcycles.” I squealed and jumped into his arms, wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him. He returned my kiss, licking my bottom lip for access to my mouth. Our tongues touched and I deepened the kiss. He moaned his approval before pulling himself away. I could feel his arousal pressed against me. “Sweetheart. Please, I want to do this right. You should get dressed for our date.”

I was slightly disappointed. “Steve honey, it’s been so long. Don’t make me wait too much longer.” He gave me a quick kiss before sending me back to my room.

I wore low rise jeans, knee high biker boots, a blue wrap shirt and a brown leather jacket. Steve was also wearing jeans, boots and his leather jacket. His shirt was a pale grey which caused his blue eyes to look brighter. “Hey handsome. Are you ready to head out?”

“Angel, you look beautiful. Your shirt matches your eyes.” He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “It’s already 6 pm. Our reservation is at 6:30. We need to go.” Steve knew I had the night off, or he would have made an earlier reservation. He held my hand as we entered the underground garage. His motorcycle collection contained twelve bikes. There was one bike, a Ducati, that was slightly smaller than the rest. “Sweetheart, this Ducati is the right size for you.”

I was hoping to drive a Harley. I pouted, “But you let me drive your bike.”

“I know sweetheart, but I was right behind you to ensure you maintained control.”

Huh... who would have known. I walked to the Ducati and swung my leg over the seat. The bike was midnight blue with pale grey accents. “You’re right Steve, this bike is the perfect size for me. The last Ducati I drove was pure black.”

He grabbed the matching helmet, tucked my hair behind my ears, kissed me then pulled the helmet over my head, leaving the visor open. “JARVIS has our helmets connected so we can communicate as we ride. If you require his assistance, you only need to ask.” He gave me another quick kiss before closing my visor. We left as soon as his helmet was in place. I carefully followed him out of the garage and through the Manhattan streets to a hole in the wall Chinese food restaurant. The food was amazing. Poor Steve got my ‘I love this food’ treatment, where I would involuntarily moan as I ate. I couldn’t help it. Delicious, flavourful food incite moans as I eat. He kept shifting in his seat, but never asked me to stop. “Are you enjoying your dinner Sweetheart?”

“Oh my goodness. This food is amazing. I wasn’t expecting it to be this delicious.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” He never admonished me once during dinner.

I put my chopsticks down, wiped my mouth and said, “Honey, that was the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. Do you mind going for a walk before we go home?”

“Anything for you, Sweetheart.”

We walked around a few blocks before returning to our bikes. Our conversations were mostly limited to the sights. “Steve, there are some things I need to tell you about me, but not until we get home.”

He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Okay Darling. My questions will wait until we’re home.” I could tell he liked my use of the word ‘home’.

Technically, I lived with Maria, but I felt more at home with Steve. Huh, I wonder why that is. Most likely it’s because of this fine specimen of a man in front of me. “Sweetheart, what was that look for?”

“I’ll tell you later Honey.” We walked back to our bikes and headed home. I removed my helmet, placing it on the seat, Steve followed suit.

Our fingers were entwined as we headed back to his suite. “JARVIS, activate privacy mode,” he quickly requested as we entered his room. “How did you get the nickname Cupcake?” He certainly doesn’t waste any time.

“When I was six, an eight year old boy, Joseph Morelli, convinced me to follow him into his dad’s garage to play ‘choo choo’. My mom was the proper Burg mother and insisted I wore skirts. I preferred pants so I could play in the dirt. I willingly followed him because I wanted to be the train. Joe reached under my skirt and removed my panties. He spread my legs and lay between them. That was the first day Joseph Morelli fingered me. I heard my mom calling me, so I pulled on my panties. When I got home, my mom noticed my underwear were inside out. She spanked me and sent me to bed without dinner. I avoided Joe for many years. My next encounter was when I was sixteen. I was working at the Tasty Bakery after school and on weekends. One night, Joe came in to buy a cannoli. It was nearly closing time. He locked the door and talked me out of my pants. I lost my virginity that night. It wasn’t rape, I had a crush on him for years. I was honoured to have him take my virginity. However, he didn’t wear a condom. Unfortunately, I got pregnant, but luckily miscarried at four months. My Dad went to his favourite sub shop and used the washroom. Joe had written a poem about me. ‘Stephanie Plum is sugary sweet and fun to eat. Just like a cupcake.’ Mom and Dad were furious. I was fired from my job and grounded for the summer. Joe left for the Navy the next day.” Steve wiped the tears from my face. I didn’t realize I was crying. “Two years later, I saw him outside of Giovanni’s. I was driving my Dad’s Buick. Before I knew it, the car jumped the curb and I hit him. His leg broke in two places. I felt vindicated for the shame and suffering I endured since the bakery incident. It was purely coincidental my godfather Joe Juniak was the new police chief. When I was brought to the TPD, he asked me why I hit Morelli. Once he heard my story, he made a deal with Morelli so he wouldn’t press assault charges. However, part of that deal involved Morelli becoming an officer with TPD.

“You should also know I’ve been married before. Not to Joe, another man. I went to Douglass College when I graduated high school. My parents were angry. I was expected to get married after I graduated, but I had other plans. My parents refused to pay for my tuition. Grandpa and Grandma Mazur paid for my tuition and residence. I stayed at Douglass during the summer to take extra credit courses. If I went home between years, my parents would have prevented my return to college. Grandma convinced me to get a part time job on campus. I worked in the law library as a librarian. My duties included finding case files and text books for law students. I met my ex-husband Dickie (Richard) Orr a few months before my final year started. It was a whirlwind romance. I was enamoured with him... at first. That novelty wore off quickly. He was the second person I had sex with. There were things he wanted to do that I wasn’t interested in doing. All I could think was ‘he’s a lawyer. My parents will finally be proud of me’. When he proposed, I immediately accepted despite my reservations. Mom made all our wedding plans. I really wasn’t interested in marriage, but he was a lawyer and it would make Mom happy. My wedding dress was hideous as were the bridesmaids dresses. I let Mom give me the typical Berg wedding. After we returned from our month long honeymoon, we moved into his house. I started my job at E E Martin. The office closed early one Tuesday when the third floor washroom flooded. When I arrived home, I saw my husband having sex on my brand new dining room table with my childhood nemesis, Joyce Barnhardt. I was furious. Our divorce is probably still the talk of the Burg. I once again became the scourge of the Burg. Mom was mad I didn’t ignore his transgressions like a typical Burg wife. I wanted a faithful husband. There is no room in my life for a cheater.”

I watched the emotions pass over Steve’s face. “You expect your partner to be faithful?”

“Yes. I want to be the only woman sharing my boyfriend or husband’s bed. With Joe, I had the attitude ‘what I don’t know won’t hurt’ and ‘don’t ask and I won’t tell’. A part of me was destroyed during my short marriage. More when I discovered he was never faithful to me. Thank goodness I always made sure condoms were used. I’ve been routinely screened for STDs.” I picked at my cuticles after the awkward admission.

“Sweetheart, you did nothing wrong. Please tell me about your arrangement with Ranger.”

I took a few deep breaths before starting this story. “I had one case where my FTA was very evasive. His name is Eddie DeChooch and he happened to be my Grandma’s boyfriend. A few of my skips were dangerous and I needed help capturing them. Eddie wasn’t really dangerous, but the people he angered were very dangerous. Ranger said he’d help me capture Eddie if I spent one full night with him. I knew Ranger was attracted to me. At the time, I was already in love with him, but afraid to take it further than kissing. I knew if I spent a night with him, he’d ruin me for other men. I was mostly afraid I would be left broken and alone. After a few sessions of melt my knees kissing, I agreed to his arrangement. Once I caught DeChooch, he insisted on Ranger taking him to the TPD. Eddie was too proud to admit he was caught by a girl. I called Ranger to help. When he entered the house, I saw he was smiling. He led Eddie to the car and said, ‘Babe, you owe me one night.’ I was both excited and scared. That night, Ranger broke into my apartment and spent the night in my bed. It was magical. He’s a very talented lover. In the morning, he told me to ‘repair my relationship with Joe’ then left. I was completely right. Not only did he ruin me for other men, he broke my heart. Over the next few years, whenever Joe and I were broken up, Ranger would take me to bed. He often said he loved me, but his love did not come with a ring, but a condom would come in handy. He loved me in his own way and his life doesn’t lend to relationships. He was my best friend. When Joe and I split up permanently, I expected Ranger to move in as he always stated he would. Several months passed and he still never made a move. I decided I would rather starve and be homeless than ask him for help. We managed to avoid each other until a few days before I left Trenton. I already told you that story.”

Steve was quiet for several minutes. “Angel, are you still in love with him?”

I knew I was finally over him. “No Steve, I’m not in love with him anymore. I miss him, but only the part that was my best friend. There’s another man in my life right now. A better man for me, one I am already falling for. Steve, I have never told anyone about my relationship with Joe or Ranger.”

“Sweetheart, thank you for helping me understand. I hope you know I’m not a virgin. I have been in brief relationships with women in the past. None of those women held my interest for long. There was only one woman, in my past, who meant more to me. Her name was Peggy Carter. She passed away a few years ago. I missed my chance with her when my plane crashed and I was frozen for nearly seventy years.” I started pulling away from Steve, thinking he was trying to let me down easy. He tightened his grip and pulled me closer to him. “Recently, I met a woman who burrowed her way into my mind and heart. She’s kind, generous, funny, beautiful and strong.” He kissed me before continuing, “She’s been through so much in her life, but miraculously she’s still the wonderful woman she is.”

I realized he’s talking about me. “Steve, after hearing about my past, how could you still be interested in me?”

“Sweetheart, from the moment I first met you, I knew you were special. I knew you would be the woman for me.” He kissed me passionately. I shifted my position until I was straddling him. He shifted us slightly to the side so I could put my feet on either side of his legs. My hands reached under his shirts to touch his abdomen. He groaned as I stroked up to his chest. His hands felt the exposed skin between my shirt and jeans. He slowly lifted myshirt. I pulled my hands from under his shirt and untied mine. His breath hitched as I returned my hands to his bare chest. I noticed he removed his shirt. He carefully slipped my shirt off my shoulders, exposing my lacy blue bra. His erection was pressed against me. I leaned forward to kiss him. As our kisses increased in passion, we ground against each other.

He reached between us to unsnap my jeans. I was already close to exploding when he reached into my pants and stroked me. My head fell back as I peaked. He ground into me as he too released. I was embarrassed, “I’m so sorry Honey. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

Steve smiled and said, “That hasn’t happened to me since I went through puberty.” He lifted us off the couch. “Come with me Darling. I think we’ve waited long enough.”

I held his hand as he led me to the shower. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samara (Stephanie) and Steve take their relationship to the next level. She continues to train with her Avenger family. Her brother, Thor, brings one of his warriors to assist in her training.

CHAPTER 11

I always thought Ranger was magic, but I was completely wrong. Nothing could compare to the night I spent with Steve. Everywhere he touched set my skin on fire. We started in the shower, carefully washing each other’s body. As he rinsed my skin, he followed with feather light kisses. He knelt in the shower and pulled my leg over his shoulder, leaning me against the shower wall. He kissed and licked up my thigh until he reached my core. Gently, he lifted my other leg over his shoulder, supporting my weight, until I was open to him. His tongue was hot. He lapped at my folds as he pushed a finger into me, stretching me before adding another one. I exploded into a powerful orgasm. He patiently helped me recover, removing my legs from his shoulders. “Sweetheart, I’m safe from disease. With the serum, I don’t get sick or catch diseases.”

“Honey, I have a two year birth control patch. It’s good for another year. My last results show I’m clean.” He kissed me as he lowered me onto his erection. I never felt so full. Leaning my head back on the shower wall, I moaned. “Steve, you feel so good.” He waited as I adjusted to his side. “Please Steve, you need to move. It’s been too long.” We moved as one as we made love, both of us exploding in the most powerful orgasm either of us has experienced. Steve set my feet back onto the floor and washed me. He grabbed a towel to dry my hair. Grabbing the brush off the counter, he carefully brushed out the knots and braided my hair. Another towel was wrapped around me before he carried me to his bed. We made love nearly all night.

I woke up to Steve gently caressing my face. “I know it may be too soon to say, but Angel, Samara, I love you. You complete me. I have found my other half in you. My heart belongs to you.”

Tears started streaming down my face. “Steve, I love you too. There is no one else for me. I finally found where I belong. My heart is forever yours.”

Steve and I spent a lot of time together. We fall more in love with every day. I noticed Maria and Sam moved from therapist/patient to friends. Sam and Maria exchanged glances causing them to blush. They’ve been growing closer to each other every day. I knew Maria was afraid to date, but I had a feeling Sam would help her overcome that fear. She confided in me last night. “Angel, I really like Sam. There’s something about him that causes my heart to flutter. I have never dated anyone and it scares me a bit.”

“Maria, you should tell him how you’re feeling. I know he likes you. He wants to date you, but he doesn’t want to scare you away. Just keep the lines of communication open.”

She hugged me, “Thanks Angel.” At home, I was Angel, in the Avengers tower, I’m now called Samara. Every morning, Steve or Sam picked us up for our training sessions. Our training continued for a few months before I noticed my enhanced abilities. Bucky, Sam, Maria and Natasha were my sparring partners. I was too intimidated to spar with Steve or Thor. I was sparring with Bucky when I was finally able to pin him to the mats. He attempted, several times, to throw me off, but I was holding strong. “What have you been eating Mara? Feels like you weigh a ton.”

“I can stay here all day Bucky. All you have to do is tap out and I’ll let you get up,” I said in a sing-song tone.

He reluctantly tapped out. “How did you do that Mara?”

I thought for a few seconds and said, “Oh. Wanda and I have been practicing non-verbal spells.” He raised his eyebrow and looked at Wanda, then he looked at Steve. All of us were expecting me to gain sorcery abilities, but none of us knew exactly how they would manifest.

Steve wrapped his arms around me. “Mara, we knew Frigga’s powers transferred to you. Thor said your Mother’s spells could only be said verbally. We had no idea you possess the ability to say the spells non-verbally.”

I blushed. “Wanda’s been teaching me. I can’t teleport, warp reality or manipulate time. I can absorb energy, project energy, project my thoughts into a person’s mind and cast non-verbal spells. The non-verbal spells I successfully cast are weight manipulation and a shield. When I manipulate my weight, I’m absorbing the energy within the room. Using a spell, I can convert that energy to increase the density of my body, giving you the impression of me weighing a ton. I know there’s a lot more for me to learn, but for now, I’ll strengthen what Wanda taught me. Protecting Maria is my primary focus right now. Thor is looking for Mother’s spell books. I’m not sure if I can cast the same spells as her or if mine are limited to Asgardian magic.” I winked at Wanda. 

Thor returned to Asgard last month to locate Mother’s spell books. He also promised to find someone to train me to wield a sword and throw daggers. I already knew someone who could train me to throw daggers, his name is Hector. However, I felt there was still a need for me to prevent my new life from meeting my old life. Maria and I need to be fully trained first. It was getting more difficult for me to continue working at the Club. I was wanting to spend more time with Steve, but I wasn’t quite ready to move in with him yet. However, it was getting more difficult to sleep alone at night. I longed to feel his arms wrapped around me as we slept. The main reason I wasn’t willing to move? I didn’t want to leave Maria alone in her apartment. She was permitted to stay at the Avengers tower whenever she wanted, but she felt guilty whenever she stayed. After all, her brother Hector spent a lot of money for her apartment. I plan to tell Hector about my new life. I owe him at least an explanation. If anyone would understand, it would be Hector. He was always supportive of my goals. I really miss him.

Tony surprised me at dinner tonight. He had compiled the archived Trenton newspapers where my face appeared on the front page. I panicked. “How could you do this Tony? They’re going to find me now.”

JARVIS replied, “Ms Samara, these articles were already part of my archive. Every paper around the world is downloaded into my mainframe the day it is released. You are safe here.”

I visibly relaxed. “Thank you.” The number of times I appeared on the front page was almost embarrassing. Each car explosion and apartment explosion was shown in chronological order. The final article featuring me was issued when I was gone for one year. People in Trenton were questioning where I was hiding. My Grandma Mazur was interviewed and suggested I was abducted by aliens. I laughed hard. She was nearly correct. I wasn’t abducted by aliens, I am an alien. “Wow. I can’t believe Grandma said that. She’s always been a hoot.” My mother and sister weren’t kind in their opinions. Mom painted me as a selfish bitch and never cared about what was respectable as a Burg woman. In the article, Mom accused me of causing her divorce from Dad. Valerie said I was always jealous of her and wanted her life. She couldn’t be further from the truth. I never wanted to be a Burg clone like Valerie. If leaving the Burg and toxic people made me selfish, then I agree with Mom. Seeing my life on the screen in a one hour show, really put everything in perspective. I was right to leave Trenton.

At the scene of my last car explosion, there was a picture of Joe with his arms raised, clearly yelling at me. Another picture shows Ranger holding me in his arms, love clearly showing on his face. Huh... what do you know, it looks like the man really did love me. I muttered, “Too little, too late. You’ll never get another chance. I’ve moved on.”

Steve and Bucky looked at me. I never realized they had impeccable hearing. Whispering in Steve’s ear I said, “You’re the only one for me. Now and forever.”

He repeated, “Now and forever.”

“Thank you for that show Tony. I know for sure leaving Trenton was the best decision I made. Everyone here is my true family. Thank you for being supportive and welcoming me into your family.”

Thor chose that moment to enter the room. “Sister, I have returned with a warrior to train you.”

I looked behind him to see a lady wearing impressive weapons. Running to Thor, I launched into his arms. “Brother, you came back. I was so worried about you.” He laughed and hugged me back before placing me back on my feet. “Samara, I have brought Lady Sif to train you.” I held out my hand to shake her hand.

She looked at Thor before shaking my hand. “Lady Samara, I have arrived to train you.”

Lady Sif trained me hard. It took weeks to learn how to properly hold the sword. I found throwing my daggers easier. There wasn’t a target I couldn’t hit. Once I became comfortable wth my daggers, Clint taught me to shoot using a bow and arrow. A few times, I missed my target and prevented the arrow from hitting an unsuspecting Avenger. “Sister, how did you throw the lightning?”

Thor was curious when he saw me obliterate the wayward arrow. “Oh that? I discovered I that ability when Clint kept shooting rubber tipped arrows at me while I sparred with Bucky.” He tipped his head back and laughed. Apparently this tactic was common training protocol for Clint. He wanted to ensure we were always aware of our surroundings, especially during fights.

“It’s all about protecting yourself. The villains we fight will take advantage of any distraction to kill you.” That made perfect sense.

After an exhausting day of training, I went to Steve’s room. “Steve, that was so much fun, but so tiring. Every muscle in my body hurts.”

“Sweetheart, lay down. I’ll take care of you.” I pulled off my shirt and cargo pants before laying on my stomach on Steve’s bed. He reached into his night stand for a bottle of massage oil. I sat up briefly to remove my sports bra. Steve pushed me back to the mattress before rubbing the oil into my sore shoulders and back.

I mumbled, “Steve, your hands are magic. That feels so good.” He worked my shoulders, back, arms and legs. I was putty in his hands.

Kissing my shoulder he said, “Sweetheart, wake up. I brought you some food.”

I did’t realize I fell asleep as he massaged my muscles. “Thank you Honey. You’re so thoughtful.” Pulling his shirt over my body, I noticed Steve brought more than twice the amount of food as usual. “Are we expecting company?”

“No Sweetheart, you started eating more when your training increased.” Cool. I was glad to hear my appetite was finally back to normal.

Hector called while I was in Steve’s room the following night. “Hola Hector.”

“Angelita. I’m so sorry. Your Grandma Mazur died in her sleep last night.” I started sobbing.

My Grandma was my rock and refuge while growing up. She gave me wings to fly. “I want to come back to Trenton to say goodbye.”

I could hear the pain in his voice, “Angel. It isn’t safe for you to return. I overheard Ranger say he’ll lock you away if you return.”

“Stupid mercenary asshole. He doesn’t have any claim on me.” I was getting angry.

Steve wrapped his arms around me and whispered, “Sweetheart, what’s going on?”

I didn’t bother covering my phone. “Hector just told me Grandma Mazur died last night. I want to return to Trenton for her funeral, but Hector said Ranger threatened to lock me away if I did.”

Hector listened as I talked to Steve. He was so happy for me. “Angel. Have you moved on?”

“Yes. I have been dating Steve for months. He’s the one I belong with. I gave him my heart.”

“I’m happy for you Angel. You deserve to be loved. Does he love you too?”

Steve answered, “Yes sir. I love her.”

Hector was pleased with Steve’s response. “Angel, stay happy. Is there anything you or Maria need?”

“We have everything we need. Hector?”

“Yes Angel?”

“I’m tired of hiding from everyone. When I decide to reappear, I’ll inform you. I want to make sure Maria will stay safe.”

“Okay Angel. It’s your decision. Let me know before you implement your plan.”

“I will Hector. Thank you for everything. I miss you. Love you.”

“I love you too Angel. Now go spend time with your man.” Steve held me as I cried for Grandma.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ranger and Joe attended my Grandma’s funeral. Both men were hoping I would attend and they were equally disappointed. Ranger stood at the back and watched Morelli comfort Helen. He constantly scanned the room in hopes of locating me. Turning to Lester he said, “Where is she hiding? I expected her to attend her Grandma’s funeral. They were very close.”

Lester replied, “I have no clue where she is. We stopped searching when we read her letter. She doesn’t want to be found. I personally think she’ll let us find her. Just be patient.” Ranger wanted to hit his cousin. After the funeral, Ranger heard Helen and Valerie discuss the reading of the will.

Helen knew her parents had an impressive nest egg and couldn’t wait until the money was in her greedy hands. She already maxed her credit cards and purchased a new car. Valerie was wiser than her mom. She had a feeling I had already received the inheritance. How else could I have left? Many times she asked Grandma if she helped me leave. Grandma denied her involvement every time. She may have provided the money, but not the means. Grandma’s money is still in the bank. I haven’t even spent a dime. Between Hector and working at the Club, I had everything I needed. Edna’s will was to be read the day after the funeral. Ranger sent his company lawyer to Cooper Tanner Parker’s law firm for the reading of the will. Helen sat next to Valerie as they waited for Donovan Cooper to read the will. She was feeling confident. Unknown to Helen, the will she discovered among her mother’s belongings was outdated. Helen was no longer the sole beneficiary. Edna updated her will after her husband Henry passed away. Other than a few odds and ends, all money, except the amount set aside for her funeral, was already given to the beneficiary.

Donovan Cooper entered the conference room to read Edna’s will. “Hello everyone. My name is Donovan Cooper, Edna’s lawyer. I see Helen Plum and Valerie Kloughn are present, but where is Stephanie Plum?”

The smartly dressed man sitting across from Valerie said, “I am Scott Duncan, lawyer for Rangeman LLC. I have been asked to represent Stephanie.”

“Alright,” Donovan replied. He made some notes in his file. “Let’s get down to business. Edna changed her will three times during the last ten years. Ten years ago, Edna and Henry modified their will to add additional beneficiaries. Her current will, drafted shortly after Henry’s death is the one before us today. All previous wills are null and void, as stated in this will.” As Don read the will, Helen’s face was turning red in anger. “My funeral was arranged and paid for in full, prior to my death. The funeral director already knows my wishes. Nobody should have to be in debt to pay for my burial. I leave all my jewelry to Valerie. Most of it is valuable, she has my permission to sell any or all of the jewelry if she requires the funds.” Helen was about to interrupt when Donovan indicated she should remain silent. “Stephanie has already received her inheritance.”

Scott Duncan quickly sent a text to Ranger. ‘Stephanie will not be returning to Trenton to claim her inheritance. She already received her share.’

Ranger texted back, ‘Her returning for the reading of the will was a long shot.’

Don continued reading, “I leave nothing to my daughter, Helen Plum.” Helen jumped out of her chair, sending it crashing to the floor. She grabbed her bag and left the conference room. For the first time in her life, Helen needed a job. Helen’s displeasure could be heard throughout Trenton.


End file.
